


How Marius Became a Baron (and How Lyfrassir Became His Knight, and How They Both Were Very Stupid About the Whole Affair)

by octovoid128, pleasekalemenow



Series: The Inherent Romanticism of Dragons [12]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Knight!Lyfrassir, Literally the stupidest fuckers on the planet, Lyf has dubcon in their history, Multi, Nonbinary Lyfrassir Edda, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex Dreams, Slow Burn, Trans Marius, by which I mean. they fuck very early on and then are idiots for two fucking years, in the past! not current, literally they have a LIFE together and yet they don't COMMUNICATE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 39,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25786876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octovoid128/pseuds/octovoid128, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasekalemenow/pseuds/pleasekalemenow
Summary: Sir Lyfrassir of the Eddas has never found themself in a situation quite like this one. There once was, indeed, a Sir Marius- they’d met him, and although he was a bit of a prick, he was a good soldier and...well, he was in good standing with the Queen, at least. Which is why, when she heard word that someone else was galavanting about with his name and his title, Queen Odin sent Lyfrassir after him, to bring him before her to face his sentencing and sure death.--Or, how Sir Lyfrassir was sent to arrest Marius von Raum and ended up starting a con with (and subsequently falling in love with) him instead.
Relationships: Lyfrassir Edda & Marius von Raum, Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum
Series: The Inherent Romanticism of Dragons [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832185
Comments: 35
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Juan_Pujol_Garcia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juan_Pujol_Garcia/gifts).



Sir Lyfrassir of the Eddas has never found themself in a situation quite like this one. There once was, indeed, a Sir Marius- they’d met him, and although he was a bit of a prick, he was a good soldier and...well, he was in good standing with the Queen, at least. Which is why, when she heard word that someone else was galavanting about with his name and his title, Queen Odin sent Lyfrassir after him, to bring him before her to face his sentencing and sure death. Lyfrassir tried very hard not to have an opinion on the manner. They did not always have their title, and before they gained it and the protections it affords they had entertained fantasies of earning something better for themself. They didn’t earn what they have now, and neither did Sir- Sir No-one, they suppose, since they don’t know his real name, but at least they attained their title through legitimate means. They try to cling to that difference.

They’re surprised to find him participating in a tourney. If it were them, they would keep their head down, not call attention to themself. Perhaps he needs the money? -no matter, it doesn’t change anything except for the means by which they need to get to him. They enter the tourney themself- god knows they have the Queen’s funds to buy into the last round of the hand-to-hand combat. If he can’t reach that stage they figure that tells them plenty about how much of a threat he is, anyway. 

He does, in fact, make it to the final round, although there’s very little finesse to his martial style. Sir No-one fights desperately and gracelessly, but he bests each opponent with only minor bruising. Still. Sir Lyf has gone up against far more formidable opponents. They are announced as the other participants- no need to announce them as a knight of Odin when they’re trying to be unassuming- and they step into the arena with Sir No-one, brandishing their shortsword with the finesse of someone very well-practiced. Are they posturing? Maybe. But they feel vindicated in doing so. Their opponent twirls his own sword with clumsy fingers and steps forward, but Lyf has been watching and he telegraphs his attacks quite obviously so they sidestep with no trouble, swinging to attempt to hit the back of his helmet as he staggers forward- not using their full strength- and he dodges out of the way, turning quickly to swipe at them. Lyf essentially jumps backwards, assuming a better position rather than immediately retaliating. Sir No-one makes another lunge forward, trying to feint another swipe at their side before going to actually try to hit their head, and Lyf brings their sword up in time to parry, using the opportunity to twist his sword aside and make him drop it, blade falling to the dirt with a muffled clatter.

"Fuck!" he curses, taking a step back to circle around.

Lyf steps on his sword and kicks it aside, with themself in between the imposter and his weapon. They ready their weapon to strike him. “You know, surrender is a reasonable option.” Not an honorable one, but they assume he doesn’t care about that. They can’t see his expression under his helmet, but he hesitates before throwing a punch. Lyf sidesteps with a sigh, bringing the hilt of their sword down hard against the side of his helmet. He stumbles aside as the visor of his helmet breaks off. He is, regrettably, fairly attractive, but Lyf violently shoves aside their sexuality. Fortunately for them they are skilled in repression. They level the blade at his throat, but it’s a hollow threat. “Funny, you don’t look like Sir Marius to me.”

He scowls at them and takes a step back, then ducks under their blade to full body tackle them like a fucking football player. Tragically, Lyf is not expecting this, and it is effective. Their visor flies up as their head bangs against their helmet and the ground, groaning as the world spins slightly. The impostor goes still for a second, although Lyf can’t see his face, before scrambling to grab a sword, pointing it at them on the ground.

Lyf is understandably pretty miffed about this whole situation. He cheated. The dumbass won’t even get the reward money for second place, now. They have no idea what he was thinking. They are vaguely concussed and so used to people pointing weapons at them that it takes them a moment to realize he’s threatening them with their own sword. They raise their hands up by their head, looking at him with an expression of disdain and also vague what-the-fuck rather than one of fear. Worst he can do is kill them. That wouldn’t be the end of the world. The horn is blown, signaling the end of the match.

Panic registers on Sir No-one’s face and he sheathes Lyf’s sword before booking it away. Lyf is a bit slower than normal in getting to their feet, but they’re still armed (with his sword, unfortunately- the balance is horrible) and they dash after him, untying a few bits of armor around their shoulders and upper thighs as they go so they can move quicker. Were they not concussed they would realize this is a horrible idea. After watching him mount his horse, Lyf mounts their own quickly, having had ample practice mounting her in less than ideal circumstances and in armor, and urges her forward after Not-Marius. Their head is swimming a bit but Brunhilde needs little prompting. They chase him through the village and a decent ways into the woods before the brush ahead of the imposter grows too thick for him to ride through, assuming he isn’t the sort of asshole who will hurt his horse. If he is they’ll just have to follow on foot or loop around. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be that sort of asshole, because he pulls up with a curse.

Lyf levels their sword at him. “Sir Marius impersonator. My orders are to bring you in alive and that would be my preference, so if you dismount now and hand over my sword I can bring you in peacefully.” Their words are a bit difficult to get out but that’s fine, it’s. They’ve had worse headaches. The trees are at least blocking the worst of the light.

"I'd really rather not, thank you."

“Tragically, that was not really a request.” Lyf’s tone indicates that they clearly do not find it tragic.

The man scowls. "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

Lyf gives him an annoyed look. “I could, but I was just going to knock you out, dumbass.”

"And where would you be bringing me after you did that?" He raises his eyebrows

Lyf heaves a long-suffering sigh. “I see where you’re going with this but you knew the consequences of your actions when you chose to impersonate a dead knight. I will not be guilted about it.”

"If he's dead, what's it matter? S'not like he's the only guy named Marius anyways."

Lyf is not about to go into a speech about honor. “You’re stalling.”

"Maybe. Why haven't you just knocked me out yet?"

Lyf doesn’t say because they’re curious and gay and he seems charming enough because that would be unprofessional. “I’ve never relished violence, whatever-your-name-is. I’m giving you another shot at coming peacefully. Be a damn shame to spook your horse.”

He scowls. "My name  _ is _ Marius."

Lyf sort of squints at him, although they aren’t distracted enough to lower his sword or loosen their grip on it. “Convenient.” They do not buy it.

"Sure, I chose it. Doesn't mean it's not my name." The man sounds defensive in a way that Lyf immediately recognizes.

“...Right. Of course. Sorry.”

Marius looks down. "S'fine."

Unfortunately, being trans, as great as that is, does not erase the fact that he did crime. They really wish his face were still covered. He looks so...wounded. They’re going to be stupid about him, they can already tell. “There any particular reason you’re masquerading as a knight, Marius?”

He shrugs. "Good way to make money. People respect you. Not much else I can do."

Damn if Lyf doesn’t know the feeling. They can’t quite keep the understanding and empathy out of their expression, although they do try. “I still have to take you in. I am actually a knight, and I have duties which I’m honor-bound to fulfill.” The words ring hollow, even for them.

Marius laughs. "Honor. What a load of shit."

Lyf’s gaze hardens. “Were it not for my honor you’d be dead already, so I’d hold your tongue.”

"If the vague and nebulous sense of honor is the only thing keeping you from murder, forgive me if I don't quite buy it."

It super isn’t the only thing keeping them from murder, but saying  _ I feel bad for you  _ seems rude. And _ I relate to you _ is too honest. So, they gently. Change the subject. “If you come willingly I can make a case for you to be spared the blade.”

"Oh, a case? Well thanks, that's super reassuring, I'll definitely get off my horse for a promise of 'oh well maybe you won't die'!"

“Oh, I’m sorry, maybe I should just give you a concussion to match mine and take you back without a case.” They are Frustrated. If he knew anything about what it is to be a knight he’d know that if they let him go it will be their neck on the line. This is the best they can offer him.

He looks at them skeptically. "How am I supposed to trust that you'll even try?"

“If I wasn’t willing to try do you seriously think I’d still be talking to you about it?” they snip back.

Marius shrugs. "I don't know. You have a concussion, you might just not want to fight me."

“I tracked you down just fine with a concussion. And I’m running out of patience. Do you want to come along riding my horse or strapped to it?”

Marius snorts. "Forward of you, Sir Lyf. You want me to come riding your horse?"

Lyf goes red, but manages to otherwise maintain their composure. They barely stop themself from mentioning that he would have to pick the strap option if he wants to ride. Gods, they need to get laid. “There’s no need to be crass.”

"Why not? I enjoy being crass."

“Well, I don’t,” Lyf lies, like a liar. “Answer the question.”

"You're no fun." Marius pouts, but he dismounts.

Lyf sighs and dismounts as well, sword leveled at him. They’re plenty of fun. “Hands up, please.” Marius sighs and puts his hands up... and then spins around with the sword to try to cut through the brambles in his way. Lyf simply plays the uno reverse card and tackles him. “Fucking Christ, do you have to be so dense?”

He writhes beneath them. "Maybe I do!"

Lyf forces his hands behind his back, knee between his shoulder blades to keep him pinned. He may be larger than they are, but they’re stronger. They pull off his greaves so they can bind his wrists with rope. They don’t respond to his words. Obviously they can’t trust anything he says.

"Fuck you," he spits.

“Polite pass.” They finish binding him and then hoist him to his feet. They really ought to knock him out but they just can’t bring themself to do it. They’re a disgrace, they know that. He struggles against them the whole time. Lyf’s voice is a growl when they spit, “Stop it.”

Marius scowls and decides to be difficult the other way, going limp to just become dead weight. This, at least, Lyf can deal with. They chuck him over their shoulder like it’s nothing.

They sit him in front of them on the saddle, hands still behind his back with their arms around him on the reins. His horse is tethered loosely to their own, and they do make sure to give her a carrot from their saddle bag so she will know not to panic. Both swords are carefully out of his reach. They find it deeply unfortunate that his hands are. Placed where they are. But they try to adjust so they’re against Lyf’s abdomen instead. Marius grumbles a little but eventually shuts up and slumps forward against the horse's neck. Lyf pets Brunhilde’s neck affectionately but doesn’t dote on her much more than that. They will tonight, when they have “Sir” Marius tide up more effectively. “...Be a few days getting back.”

"Yippee."

Lyf sighs. They don’t like this either, but they can’t exactly say that. They ride in silence for a bit. “...If you want we can dismount to doff armor. Make it more comfortable, at least.”

He just shrugs petulantly.

Lyf could also probably win a sighing competition at this point. “That’s a yes, then.”

"Whatever."

Lyf definitely feels bad because like. They get it. They are taking him to his probable death. They can imagine that finding out there was a dead knight with his own fucking name would have been too tempting to pass up- it was a chance at a better life. They would have taken it themself. They’re quiet for a bit, until they find a tree to pause under and tether their horses together. It’s been getting dark for a while now, anyway. They dismount first, and place the swords somewhere out of reach, before helping him down carefully. He's a little more cooperative, now, and experience tells Lyf that the fight is just going out of him. They remove his armor as delicately as they can, and it is pretty apparent from their expression and overall demeanor that they are not enjoying this At All.

"At least buy me dinner first,” Marius attempts to joke. There isn’t much humor behind it.

Lyf doesn’t smile, because. Well. They don’t like removing someone else’s clothes without permission. “I actually do have food if you think you can eat something.” Their tone is pretty damn mild, and they finish removing his plate mail.

"Not particularly hungry."

“You should still really eat something,” they mumble, but they don’t push the issue. They aren’t really hungry, either. They foolishly don’t tie him to the tree, but they do bind his arms a bit better as well as his ankles before sitting him down Away From The Swords and beginning to remove their own armor. It’s a relief. It’s bloody hot out. Marius just flops over in the grass. Lyf does the same, sans ropes. This fucking sucks. It was bad enough when he was resisting. They get out a canteen and take a swig of water. “Don’t suppose there’s anything you could tell me that would help make it a bit easier to appeal for you?”

"Probably not. Not anything true anyways."

Lyf is quiet for a moment. Then they sort of extend the canteen in his direction, like  _ hey sit up and I will give you some water. _ “...Got any convincing lies?”

Marius sighs and sits up to accept some water. "I'm. A knight from a different kingdom and just happen to have the same name?"

Lyf gives him the water, careful not to choke him on it. “Don’t know if it’s specific enough. Galfridian tends to keep to itself. You know anything about there?”

"I know it keeps to itself."

Lyf sighs. “Right. That won’t work, then. Hm.” They are clearly putting Actual Thought into this, and they get some dried jerky out of a satchel at their hip to offer him some. His hands are tied so he just opens his mouth. Lyf is fine with feeding him and their mind is too occupied to really feel self conscious about it. They look at his face closely, searching for any resemblance to Sir Marius. Dude was old enough to have a son about his age, after all.

"Could just kill me now and say it was an accident. Might be better."

Lyf grimaces a bit. “I’d rather it not come to that.” They continue scanning his face, drawing conclusions, running calculations and odds and generally evaluating how much skin they’re willing to put in the game.

"I mean. Same."

Lyf huffs humorlessly. “...Could I ask an incredibly callous question?”

"Sure. I'm already tied up."

“Do you have any living relatives?”

"Ah. Cool. Fun icebreaker! No, do you?"

Lyf gently doesn’t answer his question. “Sorry, I wouldn’t have asked for no reason. Sir Marius doesn’t have any living relatives, either. Or he didn’t.” They raise their eyebrows slightly.

"What, did one of them come back to life?" He frowns, not understanding. 

Lyf glances around a bit as if anyone could possibly be listening. “Well. He had a daughter. She died in obscurity, and no one really gave a fuck that it happened. He didn’t talk about it.”

Marius is still not connecting the dots. "So? Boo hoo for her."

Lyf looks at him like  _ are you kidding me _ . “...She would be about your age...”

"Are you trying to set me up with a corpse???"

Lyf groans. “I’m saying you could replace her, dumbass.”

Marius blinks, and then scowls. "I'm not anyone's daughter."

Lyf sighs, just. So exasperated. “I know you aren’t. Neither am I.” They are fairly androgynous, but. On the more femme side. So this might be news to him. “But women aren’t on the paperwork. And so. If he didn’t realize he had a son when the papers were drafted, they might not have been updated. Do you get what I’m trying to say?”

Marius blinks at them slowly, understanding finally dawning on his face. "People would buy that? You can. You can update papers for that here?"

Lyf frowns. “...yes? People don’t generally bother, unless it’s an heir, but then- well, sometimes people put it off for. Too long. But it’s...” Their frown deepens. “...did you actually think I was suggesting I would...” They can’t even finish the sentence. They are. Deeply offended by the implication that they would deliberately misgender him.

"I don't know! I don't know you!" Lyf gets the impression that if his hands were free, he would throw them in the air.

“You don’t, but you know I’m the sort of person who would bother trying to save your life despite having no fucking reason to.” They scowl in the direction of the horses, who did nothing wrong, and sip from their canteen petulantly.

"Sure but just because you're not a murderer doesn't mean I can assume you respect me." Marius grumbles.

Lyf sighs. “Right. Well.” They have no good segue so they just sort of mumble something about being nonbinary.

"Well I figured that you weren't cis after your earlier comment." He sighs. "Sorry for assuming."

They shrug. “S’fine. Happens a lot.” They extend the water back towards him, not looking at him.

Marius accepts the water again. "Thank you."

“No problem.” They regard him seriously. “Do you think you’re up to pulling this thing off? You’ll have to lie better than you did about being Sir Marius.”

"Well, better to try than to just die. Tell me more about him."

Lyf gently doesn’t mention that they will be drawn and quartered if they’re found out about this. They’re an idiot for risking this. It’s the only right thing to do. “Well. Dude was a bit of a prick, but the Queen liked him. She’s only got one eye, though, so I’m hoping you resemble him closely enough for her. You should.” They think for a moment.

"Oh good, my real father was also a prick."

“Suppose you have material to draw from, then. The man was a local baron, but he let his town go to shit, more or less, in favor of going into knighthood. Had a massive library he never used. Was sort of generally a dick to everyone he met.” They go into detail about his political dealings and connections, as well as relevant immediate and extended family members. Marius nods along, looking focused, and Lyf quizzes him periodically to see how he’s catching on. He gets most it by the time they should probably sleep.

Lyf sighs. “Kay. Well. We’ll have a few more days to be safe. And if you have questions you can just get me alone and ask. I think I can cover for you okay just by saying that I recognized you from visiting your father’s estate. He was definitely the sort of guy who would have pressured you into taking his name given the slightest excuse to do so, so. It’s plausible.”

"Okay. Cool. I know the guy is dead but he definitely sounds like a prick. Should I lean into the hating him thing, do you think?"

“Seems like that would be easier for you,” they say dryly.

"Probably. I can be a good actor though. When my life is on the line."

“Not just yours,” Lyf mumbles. They pull a Different flask out of their satchel and take a definitely normal sized swing from it. “Hate is fine. No one would buy it if you were singing his praises when he didn’t even bother to put you in his will.”

"Ah, true, the bastard." Marius scowls as though this is an actual slight to his actual character that this man he's never met didn't put him in the will. Lyf chuckles lightly as he continues. "What a cunt."

They glance at him, smirking because  _ dammit _ why does he have to be funny. They were right, they’re going to be incredibly, deeply stupid about him. “If I untie you are you going to do something stupid?”

"Probably."

Lyf sighs. “Appreciate the honesty.”

"Savor it. S' rare for me."

Lyf sort of wonders if he’s trying to put on airs or something, but they don’t ponder it too hard. They rise for a moment to grab their bedroll and spread it out, then turn to Marius. “Lay back for me, please.”

Marius gives them a slightly confused look but lays back. Lyf raises his bound legs with one hand and uses the other to bring his arms down and then up and around, so his arms are in front of him, still bound. “There. Now get some sleep.” They gesture to the bedroll, then sit down and lean back against the tree, by their armor, polish in hand. They might as well do something.

"...You're giving me your bedroll?"

“I’m not stupid enough to sleep. One of us should at least be comfortable.”

Marius doubts he'll convince them to sleep so he just rolls himself onto the bedroll and closes his eyes.

Lyf does their best to Not sleep even though they are. Fucking exhausted. And have a concussion. Unfortunately, they non-consensually pass out after a few hours of valiantly battling sleep. Head trauma is, as it turns out, a real bitch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marius takes Lyf to the doctor, and gay panics a bit.

Marius stirs in the night and wakes, turning over to look at his captor. Fuck. He shouldn't have done that. They're cute- a little furrow between their brow, sleeping half-slumped over their breastplate. He sighs and stands up, dragging the bedroll towards them and gently tipping them over onto it before laying back down on the ground. They don’t stir much at being tipped over, save for a vaguely pained noise. When Marius next wakes it's morning and Lyf is still asleep. He highly considers grabbing his sword and his horse and leaving. And then his curséd sexuality acts up again and he instead shakes them awake.

Lyf takes a bit of shaking to wake up, and when they do wake it’s with a sharp inhale and a wince. “Fuck.”

Marius examines them a bit, looking for a bruise. "We should probably find you a doctor. Sorry I... hit you that hard."

Lyf shakes their head, bringing a hand to shield their eyes from the sun. “‘Tis but a flesh wound,” they try to joke. “S’fine, I’ve had worse.” They sit up suddenly. “Fuck. You...” They sort of squint at him, eyes flitting between the sleeping mat and him. 

He shrugs. "Looked like you needed it. Let's find a village to get your head checked out."

“...if our story is that I recognized you upon running into you again, people won’t buy it if I’m dragging you around all tied up like that.” There is an unspoken question in their words.

Marius holds out his hands to them. "I'll stay."

Lyf carefully unties the ropes- there’s only a mild burn, but they still wince when they see it and pull a tin with a mixture of oil, lard, and honey from their satchel. “Sorry, didn’t realize I’d made them that tight.” They take his wrist and rub a bit into the inflamed skin.

"It's fine." Marius tries not to think about just how much  _ smaller _ they look without their armor on. Lyf rubs the lotion into his wrists anyway. "...Thanks."

Lyf just hums. “Thanks for not killing me in my sleep.” This has the cadence of a joke but they clearly kind of mean it.

"No problem. I'm not much of a murderer." This is not a jab at them. He doesn't think they're a murderer either. Lyf puts the lotion away and then turns their back to him to get some supplies from their saddlebags. Marius simply bends down to start packing up the bedroll. 

Lyf gets some bread and dried fruit from their satchel, as well as another canteen. They extend the canteen as well as the foods towards him once he stands up. “...Hey, um. If you need it, we could head back to the, um. Tourney. You’re definitely disqualified but they should be holding my prize.” They’re avoiding eye contact. “Not like I need it.”

Marius accepts the canteen and some of the food. "It's fine. I didn't earn it."

“Neither did I. I bought my way into that stage of the tourney to save the hassle. And.” They somehow avoid eye contact even more aggressively. “You should have some money, in case you need to bolt. If things go wrong.” 

Marius is a bit touched. "Kind of you, but I know how to do that without money. Would rather not waste time backtracking."

Lyf takes a deep breath and nods. “Alright, then. We should head towards Asgard. Get it over with. It’s a few days out anyway.” 

"Let's get going." He gathers up his armor to load onto his horse. "We'll find someone to check out your concussion on the way."

Lyf sighs very heavily- apparently they don’t care for doctors. “Really not necessary. I’ve had plenty of concussions. It’ll heal.” 

"That's not reassuring my thude. Actually, that's worse, I would argue. Too much head trauma is not a good thing." Marius tries to meet their gaze.

Lyf makes a pouty sort of face that definitely reads as  _ dammit I’ve been caught. _ “...can it wait until we get there?”

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor."

“Cool. It can wait then.” They don’t sound very certain, but their tone is pretty final anyway.. They hoist their stuff onto Brunhilde and then walk around to stroke her face affectionately, making soft noises at her. She huffs and tosses her mane in a way Lyf seems to take as affectionately. Marius thinks they are. Very cute. He Looks Away to avoid getting too gay about it, patting their own horse and giving her snout a soft smooch. She might have been stolen, but he still cares for her. Lyf mounts their horse with a parting smooch to the snoot of their own. “If you’re still hungry I could give you a bit more to eat on the ride.”

"I'm okay for now. Thank you, though." He smiles sincerely

Lyf blushes a bit, although it’s probably the heat. It takes them a second to respond. “N-no problem.”

Marius swings up onto his own horse and gently spurs her forward a little. "Let's go then."

“Good plan.” Lyf spurs Brunhilde forward a bit to a light canter, steering them towards Asgard. They don’t seem to be regarding any sort of map or compass, and Marius can’t help but wonder how they know where they’re going with such seeming certainty. He follows them not too far behind, keeping an eye on them for more symptoms of their head trauma. For a long while, they have no visible symptoms, but in the heat of the day they start to almost seem like they’re nodding off a bit. Marius strikes up a conversation with them about Sir Marius to attempt to keep them conscious. They seem to assume he’s just looking for a review of the facts and give him one, speaking a touch slowly. He might not notice if he wasn’t looking directly at their head trauma.

"...Are you sure you don't want to stop by a village?"

Lyf makes an expression of distaste. “...don’t like doctors.”

"Dislike them enough to die of head trauma?"

“M’not gonna die.” They’re slurring a bit, which harms their case.

"Slurring your words is not a good sign."

“I’m not going to _ die _ , Marius.” They manage to get the words out clearly this time, but it’s clearly an effort. Marius doesn't know how to persuade them better, but he's kind of frustrated with their stubbornness. He can only watch them closely until they seem to start drifting again, less subtly this time.

"Sir Lyf." Marius calls. "Hey. Stay awake."

Lyf makes a sleepy noise, trying to rouse themself, but they simply. Can’t. They drift slightly a few more times before just straight up passing out, falling over in the direction of Marius’s horse.

Marius pulls his horse up short so he can catch them. "Fucking hell…”

Lyf is still sort of held in place by their feet caught in the saddle but they are out cold. Marius sighs and gently pulls them into the saddle in front of him and grabs Brunhilde's reins to keep her following as he steers them towards the nearest village. Lyf doesn’t wake up, which is...troubling, to say the least. Getting them medical help is simple enough- Marius has  _ some _ money on him, which. He’s probably an idiot for spending on this knight. But in for a penny, in for a pound, he supposes, and with Sir Lyf lying there- well. He can’t leave them. So he sits, and waits for them to recover on a stool beside their bed. It’s a relief when they finally stir with a soft noise, not yet opening their eyes as they shift in bed uncomfortably. Marius hasn’t moved from his place on the stool, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, keeping an eye on them carefully. They seemed to have some strong opinions about doctors, and he didn’t want them to awake in the home of one all alone.

Lyf opens their eyes blearily and looks around, trying to get their bearings. It seems to take them a minute to recognize Marius, which, again, isn’t a great sign. They sit up a tiny bit. “Mm...M’rius? Where are we?”

"I'm getting you help."

Lyf processes this for a second, and then their eyes go wide in panic, immediately beginning to hyperventilate and looking around for a way out or anything to use to defend themself. Marius grips their shoulders gently and presses them firmly down onto the bed before they can get too riled. "It's okay, Sir Lyf. I'm not letting anything happen to you."

Marius realizes he’s made a mistake when, at pressing them into the bed, Lyf’s expression goes more panicked, looking up at him in fear. “P-please, please no I can’t-”

He lets them go when he realizes that was the wrong thing to do, holding up his hands to try to calm them. "I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice, you passed out. I needed to make sure you were okay."

Lyf’s eyes flit frantically over his face, trying to process. “I- you-“ They make a sound like fantasy computer fans whirring.

"I'm here. Making sure you're okay."

“ _ Why? _ ”

"Because you have a concussion?"

Lyf gives him the stink eye. That clearly wasn’t what they meant.

Marius shrugs. "S' my fault. Taking responsibility for my actions or whatever."

Lyf regards him with a difficult to read expression. “...thanks. Um. Sorry.”

"It's okay. Just want to make sure you're fine." Marius hesitates briefly before setting a hand on theirs. 

They give him a vulnerable look, eyes wider than normal from looking up at him, and Marius’s heart squeezes a little. “S’very kind of you.”

"I try," he murmurs. Lyf closes their eyes again with a faint noise, and he squeezes their hand gently. "You're supposed to rest. That is. What I was told."

Lyf hums unhappily and shakes their head, but their eyes are still closed. “Need to get you back, they’ll send people looking, s’important I present you so they don’t just...” They don’t say _ kill you on sight _ , but.

Marius sighs a little frustratedly. "Can't they have some fucking patience? Fine, you can keep resting and you can just ride in front of me."

Lyf’s cheeks color a bit, opening their eyes to look at him. “..Okay. Thank you.”

Rather than respond, Marius scoops them into his arms and brings them back to where he left the horses, the warm weight of them pressed to him stirring something protective in his chest. He gently puts them up on his horse and then swings up behind them, making sure they're situated comfortably. Lyf leans back into him easily, curling into his arms as much as they comfortably can on a horse. 

"Comfy? Ish?" Marius looks down at them, their head solidly below his chin. The height difference really doesn’t make him feel any less protective.

“Ish.” It is, after all. A horse. “Thanks.”

Marius spurs the horse into motion, trying to forget that he’s gay and just focus on the journey ahead and on keeping them safe. They fall asleep pretty quickly, lulled off by the feeling of him breathing. Marius keeps riding, guiding Brunhilde beside him as he heads towards Yggdrasil. They were thrown slightly off schedule by the whole passing out thing, so they definitely have a few days still to ride- Lyf would probably know better than he. They begin to stir around sunset, gripping his bicep subconsciously.

Marius pulls the horse to a stop. "You about ready to stop?"

Lyf makes a very cute sleepy noise, rubbing their face against his arm in a very catlike gesture as they wake up. “Mm...oh, s’getting dark...probably should.”

Marius is glad for the sunset colors, because his cheeks are going a little warm.  _ Fuck _ they are cute. He gently dismounts and helps them down. “Here you go…”

Lyf leans much more heavily on him than they would otherwise even with the concussion simply because they are still waking up, and once they’re steadier on their feet, they go to rifle through their saddlebags for food. “Did you eat and I was just. Super out of it? We definitely rode through lunch...”

Marius bites his lip. "I. Didn't. I wasn't thinking about it."

Lyf gives him a disapproving look, but they’re sleepy, so it is decidedly more cute than intended. “Y’gotta eat, Marius.” They pull some crackers, dried venison, and an orange out of their pouch. They approach him and hand him the orange. “For you. We can split the rest. C’mon, we should sit.”

Marius obliges and sits, beginning to peel the orange carefully. Lyf sits sort of close to him, seeming a bit unsteady. They tear off a hunk of the bread and eat it quietly, admiring the changing colors of the sunset. Their golden eyes reflect the warm tones of the sunset beautifully. Marius is. Slightly distracted from his orange peeling by how pretty they are. They look over and catch him staring, but they just say, “Need help with that?”

"What?" Marius blinks and realizes that he's staring and goes even redder. "Oh! N-no, that's okay." He finishes peeling the orange and hands them half.

Lyf holds up a hand in refusal. “No, it’s okay, I want you to have it. Consider it thanks. For, um.” They are. A little flustered. “Taking care of me.”

"You're the one who has a concussion." Marius sticks his lower lip out at them.

Lyf is not swayed. “Yeah, and I probably would have been trampled by my own horse if you hadn’t helped me. Just keep the damn orange.”

"She wouldn't do that. She's a good girl."

“Brunhilde is a very good girl. She wouldn’t mean to. But, um.” They shrug vaguely, understandably not really wanting to get into the details of how they almost died today.

Marius sighs. "Fine, but I will owe you an orange when we get back."

“You don’t owe me anything,” they mumble, leaning against him slightly. They force themself to take another bite of the bread. Marius eats, keeping an eye on them, both because they're beautiful and because he is worried. Lyf extends the jerky to him as they focus on the bread. They manage to drink a bit, too, which is a tiny bit reassuring. Marius accepts the jerky, wishing there was more he could do to help. As they finish their food, they scan the horizon and their surroundings. “...I could probably stay up for at least long enough for you to get a nap in. And wake you when I start to doze.”

Marius hums, then nods. "Okay. I'll accept that."

“Thank you.” Lyf gets up, only a bit shaky, and manages to gain their balance before grabbing their bedroll and laying it out. They sit down on the side of it and then pat the other side, where Marius situates himself. It is not a large bedroll. They are touching. “I’ll stay up as long as I reasonably can, okay?”

Marius tries to make himself comfortable. "Okay. Wake me as soon as you feel yourself dozing."

“Okay. Night, Marius.” They prop themself up in as uncomfortable a position as they can.

"Night." Marius curls up and closes his eyes.

Lyf manages to stay up for like an hour and a half, which is pretty impressive given the circumstances. Eventually, they feel themself dropping off, so they nudge him gently.

Marius wakes up with a sharp inhale. "Huh?"

“Sorry, Marius. M’passing out a bit.” Lyf looks fairly shit.

Marius shakes his head and sits up, slapping his face a little. "S'okay, thanks for waking me."

Lyf just makes a series of very sleepy noises and curls up on the mat against his side. Marius's heart melts a little because fuck. They're so fucking cute! Lyf is quickly fully passed out and as they adjust to being asleep they sort of wrap themself around him, a leg hitching over his and an arm curling around his waist. Marius is glad they're asleep because fuck he's red and blushing and  _ gay _ . He settles in as best he can for the rest of the night... except that Lyf is cozy against him and an hour and a half was not nearly enough for him and... his eyelids droop heavily. Lyf only snuggles in harder as time passes. This does not help. Marius manages to fight the exhaustion of the day spent riding for a few hours but eventually he simply can't keep his eyes open any longer. He doesn't even have time to try to shake them awake.


	3. Chapter 3

Lyf wakes up slowly, feeling more comfortable than they’re expecting. Their headache isn’t nearly as bad as it was yesterday. Once they’re up, though, it takes them all of two seconds to realize that they are. Very much tangled up in Marius. Their initial reaction is to scream, which seems like a bad idea, so instead they just. Hold their breath. And try to process this. They don’t fully pull away, but they do a bit to look around and see if anything was disturbed in the night. Marius's face is pressed into the bedroll so it's squishing his cheek. When Lyf starts moving a bit he stirs a little but doesn't wake. He's cute. Nothing seems to be wrong other than the fact that Lyfrassir’s bisexuality hasn’t evaporated overnight. Marius is snoring slightly and he snuggles more into Lyf unconsciously. Lyf is. Weak. And still concussed, even if they heal faster than most people. So they have an excuse to allow this. They close their eyes, holding him just a bit closer while they’re still out of it enough to not feel weird about it.

Marius mumbles something absolutely unintelligible in his sleep. Lyf makes a tired noise in turn, shifting slightly. Then Marius pulls them a little closer with a noise that... sounds a little bit like a moan. Lyf squints a bit in confusion, but they have an eye open now and they don’t need to hit the road just yet. If nothing bad happened last night, there’s no harm in him sleeping a bit longer. He’s obviously tired. They’re feeling a fair bit better.

Marius lets out a breathy sigh, which is innocent enough, but the next noise Marius makes can pretty clearly be interpreted as absolutely filthy, alongside a whispered " _ Fuck. _ ” Lyf suddenly gets the idea that his dreams might not be innocent, but they also don’t know what the  _ fuck _ they should do. Wake him up during a sex dream???? Suffer?????? They elect to Suffer.

Marius makes a few more increasingly sexy noises before his eyes snap open with gasp and focus on Lyf. He's bright red in an instant. Lyf is similarly bright fucking red and they are gently Looking Away but they are. Clearly conscious. They avoid eye contact, embarrassed. “Did you, um. Sleep well?”

"Yep!" Marius is also avoiding eye contact. "Slept great, let's keep moving!"

Lyf disentangles themself without acknowledging that’s what they’re doing. They quickly stand and grab some food and water, tossing him a canteen.

Marius catches it and takes a long drink to continue avoiding eye contact. Lyf does the same, pulling out some crackers and munching. “...Head hurts a bit less.”

"That's a good sign."

“Yeah.” They toss him a bit of food. “...thanks, for, um. Thanks.”

"Don't mention it."

Lyf resolves not to mention the fact that he passed out. It was fine, anyway. “Maybe we can make better time today.”

"Hopefully. Are you up to riding or do you want me to keep you in my saddle?"

Lyf would really rather ride, but they are aware from experience that it’s just going to get worse the longer they’re conscious, and although it’s a bit better right now it still isn’t. Great. They sigh through their nose, lips pressed together. “...Probably best to play it safe. Sun’s not really up yet, and that will. Probably make it worse.”

"Alright." Marius looks deeply uncomfortable, which Lyf understands. "Let's... go then."

Lyf nods and they are. Flustered. But they will live. They give Brunhilde some affection before mounting Marius’s horse with enough room for him to hop astride the saddle behind them. They extend an arm to help him up.

Marius accepts their hand up and situates himself behind them, doing his best not to touch them too much.

“Do you want me to take the reins or would you rather?” Lyf started this day too gay. They’re just going to be cursed like this they suppose.

"You can, if you want. And then I can take them if you get tired..."

“Alright.” They take the reins and then realize he is absolutely going to fall off if the horse gets spooked, because of how much distance he’s trying to maintain. “...You, uh, might want to hold on, or something. I won’t bite.”

Marius tentatively wraps his arms around their waist after a beat. Lyf doesn’t react because this is Obviously a shitty thing to be gay about because. Safety. So they just grab Brunhilde’s reins. “Feel comfortable?”

"Yep." He pops the ‘p’ in a way that indicates maybe he isn’t very comfortable.

“Great.” They spur his horse forward gently. They can  _ tell _ that he is tense. But they do not know how to tell him that they’re not uncomfortable about his sex dream. Because they maybe. Should be? Uncomfortable? And they Definitely don’t want to tell him that the reason they’re not uncomfortable is because they’re incredibly gay, so. They sort of relax back into him tentatively as they ride, hoping this will convey the sentiment that they aren’t weirded out by him or anything. Marius relaxes a little when they do, so. Mission accomplished. They clear their throat and manage to use their braincell for something other than gay panic and migraine management. “So, how much do you actually know about Asgardian knighthood?” Their tone is carefully casual. They don’t want to come off like they’re stressed about this plan. They are. Trying very hard not to be stressed about this plan.

"How different is it from regular knighthood?"

“Mm. Not too different? There are just some more specific oaths and traditions and the like that someone raised around it would be familiar with. But I don’t get the feeling that you’re from around here.”

"I'm not. I'm pretty far from my neck of the woods"

Lyf hums. “Feel like telling me about it?”

"It sucked. Constant feuds, garbage people, garbage gender roles."

“Oh. Yeah, sounds shitty. I mean. We aren’t exactly, um, innocent of that shit, but at least in theory people can be like. Trans and that sort of thing.” They gently don’t bring up the fact that them coming out involved them being removed from consideration for the Valkyries. Asgard is Not Immune to gender fuckery. They also don’t mention that Asgard is constantly feuding, but just happens to always come out on top.

"It's a step up from where I'm from at least. And I'm used to it."

Lyf hums unhappily. “Shitty that you’re used to it. I’m sorry. If anyone here tries to give you any shit let me know, alright? I’ll deal with it.” Their voice goes a bit stony on the last sentence.

“I believe you, Lyf.” They can hear the smile in Marius’s voice, but it doesn’t sound like he’s amused. Lyf fills him in on some of the things they figure he would have gleaned from his “father” as well as just a bit of funny court drama. 

“Oh, and, um. Don’t ask about Princess Loki’s muteness? I’m not sure how they’d react to that- it’s. Not really discussed.”

"Ah. Okay. Good to know. Did...something happen, then?"

Lyf makes a noncommittal noise. “Yes, but. No one really knows what. Um. Just try not to bring it up. Odin isn’t always, um...the most. Stable?” They glance back at him. “She’ll probably like you, um. She was fond of ‘your dad,’ so she might be more, ah, lenient.” They turn around and quietly hope they’re right. Odin...does not really like them.

"Well, I'm pretty good at kissing ass so I can work with that."

Lyf opens their mouth to make a sex joke and aborts at the last minute. He can probably hear them inhale as if to say something but they Do Not.

Marius prods them gently in the side. "You were about to make fun of me weren't you?"

“...No.” They make another sound like they’re going to speak but they don’t. Know how to say ‘oh lmao I was gonna ask if you were good at eating ass too.’

"You can make the joke, It's right there, it's wide open for you."

Lyf is at their fucking limit because is he TRYING to goad them into making a joke about his legs being wide open? What did they do to earn this torment? “Are you doing that on purpose?” They are. Flustered. If he looks at the side of their face he will see they are Red.

"Maybe I am. What about it?"

Lyf is trying so fucking hard not to flirt. They really, really are. They’re trying. “Do you have an end goal or?”

"Not really. I just think jokes are fun."

Lyf is an idiot. “That’s fair. I just. Don’t usually, um. Make jokes like that when I’m not hitting on someone. For, uh, not making people uncomfortable rights.”

"Oh. That's fair. Sorry." Marius sounds a bit disappointed, but backs off.

Lyf’s social anxiety was starting to get to them. They are. Quiet for a while. Eventually they pull Brunhilde ahead just a bit so they can grab some food and a hat from their saddlebag. They put the hat on without elaborating on the odd style or why they’re putting it on, and they hand back a lil bundle of food to Marius. “Here you go.”

"Thanks." Marius accepts it and munches a little

“So, uh.” Lyf munches a bit, too. “How did you find yourself masquerading as a knight? I am. Not being judgmental. I’m just curious.”

"Trying to fund my transition. Stole a horse, stole some weapons and stuff. Trying to earn my way, even if it's... dishonest. I have someone I need to pay back for. Y'know. basically my whole body."

Lyf’s head whips around. “Why didn’t you say that sooner? We definitely could have spared, like, a day to go back and get the prize money for you. Fuck, Marius, who are you indebted to?”

"A witch. She's chill though, it's fine!"

Lyf is only vaguely appeased by this, but they turn back around, a deep furrow in their brow. “...I would have been happy to help you with that, Marius.” Their voice is gentler, now, at least.

Marius presses his lips together. "Thank you, but. I want to earn it on my own."

“...Honorable of you.” They have trouble not being able to help people, it’s. Part of why they accepted knighthood. But they can respect why he would want to earn this himself. “I. Won’t press about it, then.”

"Thank you. I guess I have. Some honor, huh?"

Lyf makes a slightly guilty noise. “...There’s nothing dishonorable about wanting a better life for yourself.”

"Sure, but generally people frown upon lying, stealing, and cheating. As if the lords and ladies who rule us all aren't the masters of that. Hypocrites."

Lyf huffs a short note of laughter. He’s right, of course. “Careful who you say that to, but.” They chuckle again, a bit more humorlessly. They hate pretty much everyone in the court.

"Of course. I'm correct but I'm not a complete idiot.”

“I don’t take you for one. Just. Good to be sure.” They take a swig from their canteen. “Suppose it was fair enough to assume I don’t have the highest opinions of the court since I’m willing to help you con them with nothing to gain, huh.”

"Yep. Also your general attitude when talking about them."

“Alas. Outed by my long-standing disdain for the assholes I’m stuck interacting with.” This has just the barest hint of humor in it.

"You're valid."

“Thank you for the validity.” They relax against him a bit more. The fatigue is starting to hit them but they are so fucking tired of sleeping.

Marius holds them tight. For safety.

Lyf enjoys being held. For safety.

"Let me know when you're tired of steering, Lyf."

Lyf nods, and they hold on for another hour definitely not because they want to keep being held before they indicate that they’re ready to swap off just because they are. Getting very headachey and they want to shut their eyes a bit. Marius takes up the reins and lets them situate themself against him. Lyf is a bit more comfortable with snuggling into him after literally waking up tangled in his arms. So they snuggle their side into his chest, resting their head against his shoulder and shutting their eyes with a small contented noise. They trust him by now. They doze slightly, but not too deeply. They keep waking up, their usual dreams of rainbow hell haunting them. Nothing they aren’t used to. When Marius stops for the night and starts setting up camp, Lyf helps him out tiredly, frowning when they poke around in their saddlebags. They take out some food and set his portion aside while he finishes setting up. They eat theirs quickly and hope he is too distracted to notice their portion size is fucked by the time he’s done.

"How are we doing on rations?" He looks over at them and then squints. "Apparently not well. Got any rope?"

“Yeah, I’ve got some.” They get it from their bags and then toss it in his direction. They sigh when it. Does not end up near him. They have a fucking concussion. “...Sorry. Um. Yeah, I, uh, didn’t really. Factor in more than one person when I was packing. I was...sort of rushed.” 

"That's alright. I am very adept at living off the land. I'll be back." He grabs his sword and goes to set up a snare.

Ah, fucking dammit. Lyf is fucking gay. And attracted to competence. Lyf technically also can hunt because they were not always a knight, but they prep a fire while he’s gone with a little spit for roasting since they can’t hunt with a head injury. They also get out their hunting knife. Presumably whatever he catches will need to be skinned. He comes back not too long after with a couple of rabbits and some edible berries. Lyf breaks out the medieval mace by which I mean the spiked ball on a stick and beats down their homosexuality with vicious prejudice. “Impressive, Marius.”

Marius bows dramatically. "Thank you, I try."

Lyf chuckles softly, medieval golf clapping. They are. In so much trouble. “Want some help skinning those?”

"Yes, please." Marius holds one out to them as he grabs his own knife.

Lyf is very clearly practiced at this. They remove the skin in a way that it will be usable, even though they don’t really know if they’ll be keeping it. Just habit. They remove the entrails as well and place them in an open handkerchief so they can put all the innards somewhere else afterwards to avoid attracting predators. Marius doesn't skin his quite as well, glancing over at them a lot, but Lyf doesn’t mind. They start roasting the rabbit and if they lean against him a bit that’s their own damn business. Knights aren’t exactly affectionate, so they’re touch starved.

“Thanks for, um, getting food.” There was definitely enough set aside in his ration for him to have enough to eat so they are Aware that he did this to be nice.

"No problem. Food's important. Gotta keep your strength up."

Lyf is gay. “Right. Um. Could you watch this for a minute? I can go move the entrails somewhere it won’t attract Attention.”

"Sure, no problem."

Lyf heads off for a bit to do that. They’re gone for maybe fifteen minutes. They want to make sure it is Far Away. They come back with a refilled canteen, and they make themself known by tapping him on the shoulder with it. “Here, found a stream. This should be cool still.”

"Oh, fuck yeah." Marius takes a long drink, sitting in front of a well-cooked rabbit.

Lyf sits beside him, more worn out than they’d like to be from the head trauma. “Food done?” they ask a bit absently.

"Yep." Marius hands them a chunk of meat.

Lyf takes it appreciatively. “Thank you.” They start to dig in.

Marius eats a bit as well. "We make a good team."

Lyf blushes a bit. “We do.”

He smiles softly, and Lyf glances at him briefly before looking back at the fire. They Once Again lean against him a bit. Marius lets them, wrapping an arm around them carefully. Lyf interprets it as platonic because Obviously he isn’t interested in someone who kidnapped him. They shyly slip an arm under his to wrap around his waist, leaning their head against his shoulder. They cuddle like this for a while until Lyf sort of starts to drift off, going limp against him. Marius sets them up on the bedroll and buries the fire, preparing to settle in for the night.

Lyf makes a sort of unhappy noise when they’re set aside, and they rouse a bit. “M’rius?”

"Sorry to wake you. I'll be right there. I'm gonna set up some trip wires and stuff so we can both get some rest.”

They hum, nodding and laying back down. “Smart...you’re smart.”

Marius laughs and quickly sets up the wires before returning to the bedroll and sitting on the edge.

Lyf gestures for him to lay down. “C‘mon, not gonna bite you.”

"Shame." Marius blurts out before blushing and laying back.

Lyf is still halfway asleep and doesn’t really process it. “You’d have to ask real nice.” They rest their head back, oblivious.

Marius laughs, only a bit awkwardly. He settles against them. "Goodnight, Lyf."

“Night...” Lyf curls against him tentatively.

Marius puts an arm around them and holds them close. For warmth. Lyf snuggles into him happily. For warmth and definitely no other reason. They don’t take long at all to fall asleep, nor does Marius. In the night he ends up rolling on top of them. One of his legs ends up between theirs, both of them holding each other tightly. Towards the end of the sleeping experience Lyf begins to make soft noises, moving their head slightly.

Marius stirs a little with a sharp inhale. "Mmm..?"

Lyf is still sleeping fairly soundly, although their breathing is a bit heavy and they keep making soft, vaguely needy noises, their hips shifting a bit to grind against his thigh.

Marius takes a while to fully awaken. it will take him even longer to realize exactly what is happening.

Lyf makes a less-soft noise that is identifiably a moan.

The realization hits Marius like the medieval equivalent of a train. He freezes, going very red.  _ Fuck _ .

Lyf whimpers a few times between heavy breaths, grinding against him a bit more purposefully. “ _ Marius _ ...” He wouldn’t be able to hear their voice were he not Right On Top Of Them.

Marius's eyes go wide and he. Is very embarrassed. He doesn't know what to do in this situation and 100% understands why Lyf was so embarrassed about it before. He Does Not want to wake them up but he also feels like he is. Being creepy by perceiving this. Lyf is oblivious to this, moaning and pulling him a bit closer. Marius is turned on by this, but also he feels bad about feeling turned on about it. He is struggling. Lyf makes a series of increasingly horny noises before making a slightly softer, less-pleased noise as they open their eyes blearily. Marius immediately closes his eyes and pretends that he is still asleep. They go stiff, no longer breathing, so Marius fakes a soft snore for their plausible deniability. They make a very faint whining noise, and he rolls off of them with a loud snore, then sits up, looking surprised, like he just woke himself up by doing this. "Wha, huh?"

“...How long have you been awake.” Lyf is just. Staring straight at the sky. Voice monotone.

Marius is aware he has been caught. "N-not too long...."

Lyf is dead silent and still for a bit, then stands up and starts tearing shit down. They mutter an apology.

"S'okay." Marius is mortified, and also starts tearing down camp. He wonders if the water was laced with gay hubris.

Lyf has decided that they are never going to make eye contact with anyone ever again. They should eat but they have no fucking appetite, so. They sort of gesture at the berries for Marius, who munches them, beet red.

Lyf finishes packing up and drinks from the Alternative Flask because fuck this is fucking terrible. “...Gonna try to ride Brunhilde today.”

"Okay.... If you start feeling bad though, tell me immediately. Don't want you almost toppling off your horse again." Marius claps them on the shoulder a little awkwardly.

Lyf manages to make eye contact for like a Second which is impressive for them. “Right. Um. Will do. Thanks.”

"And uh. Don't... worry about the... that. I'm certainly not one to judge."

Lyf is Once Again red. They just sort of nod. They open their mouth to say something but they have. Nothing. So they just nod some more and mount the damn horse, waiting until he’s on his as well to urge Brunhilde forward. “We should get there early tomorrow if we ride through the night. Or, like. Noon if we rest again.”

"I would prefer to sleep, to be honest."

“We can. Do that.” Lyf wishes very fucking much that they had another sleeping mat. “Definitely. Probably for the best with the, uh.” They gesture vaguely at their head.

"Probably would, yes." Marius nods. "Um.. so... I feel like you. have found out quite a lot about me. Tell me a little bit about yourself."

Lyf hums. “...What exactly do you want to know?”

"Um... how'd you get into knighting?'

Lyf’s expression hardens slightly. There is Backstory for this that isn’t exactly the most fun to get into. “...Found out my absent father was, ah, a bit nobler in title than he was in. Actuality. Once he went from absent to dead. Didn’t have a better option.”

"Ah. Didn't have a better option club. Yes."

“Yeah.” They’re quiet for a moment. “Must’ve been about...twelve? When he died? So I’ve. Mostly grown up in the court, anyway.”

"Twelve. Even younger than I was when I lost my family."

Lyf glances at him as they sense an opportunity to change the subject. “...How old were you?” They don’t need to mention that they technically have living relatives.

"Sixteen."

Lyf nods. "Sorry."

Marius shrugs. "I'm not."

Lyf chuckles humorlessly. "Ah. I know the feeling."

"Speaking of which, I  _ am _ technically wanted for murder in my kingdom. But it's fine, they're not looking for a man named Marius."

Lyf glances at him because the 'speaking of which' tells a Story. They consider asking who they're looking for, but. They suspect the answer will make them want to punch something. So they just nod. "Luckily if they come looking they won't find anyone but a man named Marius. And I think you'll recall I've known you for years under that name, which I'll be happy to tell anyone who asks." They are just simply looking ahead. The lie- that they've known him for years- sounds the same as the truth of his name. 

"Thank you."

"Of course." They reach over to squeeze his arm gently before spurring Brunhilde to up her speed to more of a trot.

Lyf is doing even better today. Their head aches like a bitch but they are very good at working through head trauma sort of as a general rule, so they're. Fine. They ride through the day and then Lyf leads them a bit deeper into the forest towards the sound of a stream. "We should probably, uh. Bathe, before going to the court. Been a rough few days."

"Right. And I don't smell great on the best of days," Marius jokes.

"You smell fine," Lyf says absently, a whole idiot.

Marius blushes. "Well, probably will smell better after a bath though." He dismounts.

Lyf blushes when they realize what they said. It’s fine. This is fine. They dismount and remove Brunhilde’s gear for her rights so she can chill by the water. She is a good horse. Marius does the same for his own horse, nuzzling her cutely.

Lyf sort of goes Oh Right You Must Be Nude To Bathe and. Puts off that revelation for a moment. They grab some soap from their bag and some shampoo/conditioner, tossing the soap to Marius. It almost lands near him this time. They are tired of this. “Dammit.”

Marius walks to where it landed. "Good effort. Thank you." He sets the soap on a rock and takes a deep breath before turning his back to them to take off his clothes. Lyf looks away and starts stripping as well. They both set their clothes aside and carefully ease themselves into the stream up to their chests, backs to each other.

Lyf is very, very aware of their nudity. Once they’re in up to their chest, they say, “You, uh, decent?”

"Yes. As decent as I can be."

Lyf chuckles and turns around a bit. “Well, that’s all I can ask of you I suppose. Here, need shampoo?”

Marius blinks at them, turning to face them as well. "What's shampoo?"

Lyf blinks. “Christ.” They put some shampoo in their hand and gesture for him to come closer. “Like soap for the hair, Marius. Here.”

"You don't just use soap for that?" He approaches anyways and sinks down a little further into the water to keep his chest covered and also so they can actually reach his hair.

Lyf huffs lightly. “No. That dries it out.” They lather the shampoo into his hair. It feels. Very nice. 

Marius closes his eyes. "Well. Guess that explains why my hair is. Unmanageable."

“Just needs a little love,” they say absently. Marius hums softly in acknowledgement. Lyf eventually says, “Tip your head back for me? I don’t want the suds getting in your eyes.”

Marius obliges, looking up at them.

Lyf is a bit more flustered than one might expect from literally washing hair. They work it out carefully, glancing in his eyes a few times but overwhelmingly looking at his hair.

"You're good with your hands." Marius comments. He's. A little tired from riding all day and now having deft fingers on his scalp relaxing him.

“Thanks, I get that a lot.” They say this sort of blandly and matter of factly. They. Do get it a lot. And they are violently repressing their sexuality. They start to work in the conditioner, getting just a bit closer. 

Marius moans softly and claps a hand over his mouth, going red. "Sorry."

Lyf blushes a bit but doesn’t stop. “S’fine, I didn’t think you were getting off on this. Just feels nice.”

"Does feel nice." He nods

Lyf smiles faintly and finishes working it in, then rinses their hands off and lathers shampoo into their hands. “Alright, just leave that while you wash up and then you can rinse it out.” They begin to lather their own hair.

"Do you want me to return the favor?" Marius asks

Lyf blushes a bit. “Y-you can if you want.”

Marius stands up more fully and takes the shampoo from them to continue the lathering. Lyf tries very hard not to stare at his chest, standing up a bit straighter time give him better access to their long hair. Marius makes sure to get all of their hair nice and clean, and Lyf leans into his touch, letting their eyes fall shut. Everything is too bright right now, and his hands are comforting, somehow. Marius is gentle with them and carefully rinses their hair when he's done lathering. Lyf makes a contented humming noise and their eyes flutter open a bit to look at him. Fuck. He’s so beautiful. They’re distracted for a moment, then they hold out the conditioner. “...would you mind?”

"C-course not." Marius grabs the conditioner and starts working it into their hair just as gently.

Lyf sighs in pleasure, eyes closing again. “Thank you, Marius.”

"Anytime."

Lyf blushes. That is. An intimate promise to make in Yggdrasilian culture and it does seem to imply that he wants to bathe with them again. They’re gay. Marius blushes as well and then pulls away to grab the soap. Lyf opens their eyes again when he stops, just. Watching him.

Marius starts scrubbing himself, starting with arms and chest, and Ah. Lyf has. Nothing to do but watch. They try not to watch. They admire the nature. They admire his torso and biceps a bit. Fuck, he’s just simply. Hot. They are aware of the nudity and suffering over it. Marius heads towards the edge of the river to be able to clean lower, and Lyf looks more properly away for this, at the horses, who are vibing downstream. They frown very much when they see a snake slithering in the horses’ direction. “Fucking hell.” They start moving in the direction of the shore.

Marius looks up at their muttered curse and then the direction they are headed in.

Lyf gets into the shallows, then walks in ankle-deep water towards the horses, managing to approach and hop side- well, not saddle- on Brunhilde, but almost no sooner are they on her, trying to calm and urge her away, than she rears up in fright from the snake, bucking Lyfrassir and spooking Marius’s horse as well. The horses run off as Lyf falls to the water, miraculously not hitting their head too hard on any rocks, but their skin gets a bit dinged up.

Marius runs over to them. "Lyf, shit, are you okay?"

Lyf is. Slightly dazed. But not too badly to sit up with a noise of vague discomfort. They try to grab his hand to pull themself up. “M’fine, the horses-“

Marius scoops them. "Shit, shit, shit." He wades out of the water and sets them down to start running. "Stay there, I'll be right back."

Lyf goes a bit red at being picked up while nude. They’re conscious enough to process that, but Marius is already running after the horses. Lyf debates whether to run after him or not but honestly their head is ringing a bit so they sort of sit down, warily watching the snake. Within a few minutes, Marius returns with the horses, riding his own side-no-saddle and coaxing Brunhilde along with a handful of berries he managed to find. Just in time, because the snake is starting to get closer. Lyf stands up and then sort of half-jogs in the direction of Marius and the horses. They are. Very relieved to see him. “Marius.”

"Lyf, are you okay?" He slides off his horse and grabs their face to check their head.

Fucking hell, Lyf is gay. They blush faintly, leaning into his touch. “M’fine, I’ve had worse, hit my shoulders before my head so it wasn’t so bad.”

"It's still bad that you've hit your head again." Marius is visibly worried, searching their face with care.

“I can ride ahead of you tomorrow if it’ll put your mind at ease.” Lyf is suffering. Marius has just displayed overwhelming competence and they’re  _ nude _ and he’s  _ touching them _ and.

"It... it will. Yes." Marius steps back and runs a hand through his hair. 

Lyf nods. “Okay, we’ll do that, then.” They look at him softly, touched by his concern. “I’m fine, Marius, you don’t need to worry about me.”

"You've spent most of this trip passing out from head trauma, I feel very much like I have to worry about you."

Lyf is a bit embarrassed about that. They really don’t like having to rely on the worry and kindness of others. It usually doesn’t last long after they let themself count on it. They try very hard not to scowl because they appreciate it, they really do, he’s being so kind to them. “Sorry.”

Marius sighs. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize. The first concussion was my fault anyways."

They can’t exactly argue with that. “I probably shouldn’t have tried to mount Brunhilde given the circumstances.”

"Probably not." Now that the initial panic is wearing off, he seems to be becoming aware that they are both nude. He goes bright red. "I, uh," He accidentally gives them a once over and then focuses back on their face. "Sorry."

Lyf doesn’t cover their body, blushing furiously. They are so so very deeply glad they don’t have a dick because they are feeling very horny about this man. “Don’t worry about it. Looking doesn’t hurt anything.” They are attempting humor but they are. Feeling Very Gay.

Marius also doesn't cover himself. "I-I guess not..." He is still. Bright red. His eyes. inadvertently travel downwards again. Lyf checks him out as well, and if their eyes dwell on his bush, well. They haven’t gotten laid in a while. They feel sort of valid about it. He is. Incredibly hot. They continue to be bright red and their breathing is now just slightly more labored. Marius, on the other hand, is staring at their tits. Lyf looks back up at his face and they are. Honestly about to say or do something incredibly stupid, honestly, because he’s staring at their chest openly and fuck they want to feel him pin them to the ground again, but then the snake slithers between them and Marius jumps back. Lyf jumps back as well, grabbing their sword where it’s planted in the ground and decapitating the snake so they can just. Wash the conditioner out of their hair. They need to do that. They are so fucking flushed. “...right, um. Where did you. Set the soap?”

Marius points out where he left the soap, even redder now. Lyf goes over to get it and washes off their body, not really bothering to cover themself because. I mean. Too late for that now. Marius goes back into the river to rinse himself off after the horse ordeal.

Lyf rinses their hair and washes their body off before putting their cleanin’ stuff away and wringing out their long hair. They’re aware that Marius is still watching them as he floats in the river, so when they get out of the river they don’t get dressed immediately, electing to braid their hair instead. After that they do put their clothes back on though because there’s only so thotty they can be without someone fucking them about it before they start to feel a bit awkward. Marius eventually comes out of the water to dry himself off and put his clothes back on as well.

The two of them set up camp and eat together in relative quiet, making furtive eye contact as they wind down. Lyf tries to calm down a bit, but frankly, they haven’t been laid in a while and they’ve been pretty worked up for three days now, and honestly they could cut the sexual tension in here with a knife. They really don’t have any way to get a minute alone to have a wank so they are just living like this now. They lay down on the bedroll and pat the spot beside them, arms already sort of open. Marius settles into their arms. It’s easy enough to get into a nice cuddle since, at this point, they guess that’s what they’re doing. Not that they’ve really talked about it. There’s starting to be a long list already of things they don’t really talk about. Still, they’re slightly concussed, and he’s comfortable, and so horny as they are they don’t take too long to drift off in his arms. Once asleep they regrettably work a leg between his. 

Marius is still awake when they do that, and he's gay about it, but he manages to drift off not too long after. Once asleep, his hand finds its way up their shirt to rest comfortably on a titty. Sometime in the middle of the night Lyf starts Once Again having a wet dream starring their apparent con partner. They clutch him closely, grinding against his thigh and making quiet, needy noises.

Marius is coincidentally having a similar dream starring Lyf. He grinds slightly as well against the conveniently-placed leg between his thighs with a soft moan. Lyf’s grinding against his thigh conveniently makes their leg rub against him nicely, need beginning to make them stir just slightly. Marius makes a needy noise and continues his own grinding, gently squeezing that titty he has his hand on.

“Fuck...” Lyf whispers, just conscious enough to feel what’s going on but not conscious enough to clock the fact that this is Different than what was happening in their dream. They whine into his neck as they rut needily against his thigh. Marius half-stirs himself as they keep going against him, moaning long and low at the friction their rutting is giving him

It’s not enough, and Lyf finds themself whining something along the lines of  _ please _ but they aren’t thinking about what they’re asking for, only about how fucking turned on they are and how badly they want Marius to fuck them. Marius is working on instinct, only half-awake and not realizing that this is not a dream. He reaches a hand down their pants to rub at their dick, making Lyf let out a high-pitched keen, clutching at him and grinding against his hand, panting a bit and pressing the sloppiest kisses to his neck. They are Also unaware this isn’t a dream.

Marius keeps rutting against their leg, needy noises tumbling from his lips, as Lyf trails a hand down his pants on horny instinct to tease at Marius’s dick, still grinding against him. Marius sighs at the feeling, grinding against them in turn. He slides a finger gently into them and grinds his palm against their dick.

Lyf gasps against his skin. “Fuck, Marius...” They give him a bit more pressure, rubbing firm circles around his dick with two fingers.

"Ah.. Lyf." He bucks his hips gently against their fingers, sliding another finger into them. Lyf whines at the feeling, hitching the leg that isn’t between his up higher to rest on his hip so he can get better access. At this point, they’re aware that this is actually happening, but like- he’s fingering them, he has to be conscious, he  _ has _ to want this, and they’re just so fucking horny, so they bite his neck very gently and slip their fingers down to ease into his cunt. Marius uses his free hand to push their shirt up and put his mouth on one of their tits, so he’s absolutely awake.

“A-ah, fuck, Marius...” Lyf crooks their fingers in him, face hot as they search for the right spot. Marius moans loudly as they find it, twirling his tongue around their nipple and continuing to finger them open, grinding his palm against them hard

Lyf cries out, rutting against his palm as they focus on that spot, letting their own palm grind against his dick. They can’t fucking believe this is happening.

"Lyf, fuck, f-feels a-amazing." Marius bucks his hips against them with a soft cry, desperate for relief.

Lyf gives him more pressure, grinding into his hand as they breathe him in, smelling like their soap and arousal. “Mm, so good, Marius, fuck you feel so good, please, please more-“

He continues to finger them, probing for that spot that will drive them crazy, and Lyf lets out a noise that’s half whine and half exhale when he finds it. “Fuck there, please there don’t stop  _ Marius _ .”

Marius hones in on the spot and keeps fucking them on his fingers, hard. Lyf gets a bit distracted from fingering him, truthfully, because  _ fuck _ his fingers are excellent and it isn’t long before they’re a noisy mess, burying their face in his shoulder. “Please m’close, please, fuck, feels so good please please may I come?”

"C-come, you can come, f-fuck..."

Lyf clenches around his fingers with a breathy whine, kissing his neck just to have something to ground them.

"Sh-shit..."

Lyf rides out their aftershocks on his fingers before relaxing a bit and whispering in his ear, “May I eat you out?”

Marius's eyes go wide at the suggestion. "F-fuck... please."

Lyf pulls their fingers out and sucks them clean. “Oh fuck, Marius, you taste incredible...” They roll him onto his back and kiss his neck as they undo his trousers properly.

Marius lets out a shaky breath, sucking his own fingers clean to get a proper taste of them as well. "F-fuck..."

Lyf hums their affirmation and ducks down as they pull off his trousers to nip at his thighs close to his cunt, dragging their tongue along the sensitive skin. Marius moans and weaves his clean hand through their hair. Lyf appreciates the consideration for their hair. They look up at him as they kiss along his bush before kissing and licking just above his dick.

"Ah.. f-fuck, p-please..." Marius looks down at them with eyes blown wide. Lyf takes his dick in their mouth and sucks lightly, teasing with their tongue as they work their fingers back inside him and seek the spot they were working before.

Marius moans, gently tugging their hair. "Sh-shit!"

Lyf moans around him at the feeling, stroking that spot inside him as they work their tongue fast and light over his dick. Marius grips their hair tighter, pulling their face harder against his cock. "More, fuck, shit, more!"

Lyf is incredibly turned on by this and they give him what he wants, slipping in a third finger and working their tongue over him with more pressure. Marius keeps their mouth firmly pressed against his cunt, rutting his hips against them slightly. "Fuck, Lyf, your mouth."

Lyf hums around him, arousal building at him taking charge and using their mouth like this. They look up at him through their eyelashes as they eat him out happily.

Marius moans wantonly underneath them and keeps bucking his hips. "Hah... c-close, fuck..."

Lyf redoubles their efforts, humming around him as they suck his dick hard and stroke his sweet spot, and Marius tugs on their hair hard as he tips over the edge with a soft cry. Lyf moans around him and doesn’t let up, wanting this to last as long as possible.

"F-fuck, Lyf, ah!" His eyes roll back in pleasure as they don't let up. They start fucking him on their fingers properly, bringing their free hand down between their legs to work their clit as they moan wantonly around his dick. Marius grips the bedroll with his free hand and tugs their hair again as they take him apart, moaning beautifully until the soft cry he makes as he comes tips them over as well. When he's done coming, he pulls them up by their hair to kiss them hungrily. Lyf kisses back just as hungrily, pressing themself close to him. Marius slides his free hand up their shirt again to play with their nipples and Lyf moans softly into his mouth. It strikes them that this is their first time actually kissing, and they would laugh, but then Marius rolls them over so he's on top as he continues to kiss them, and Lyf makes a small noise of need, gripping the hair at the nape of his neck and placing their other hand under his shirt on the small of his back. Marius kisses them breathless before pulling away, panting against their lips.

"Fuck you're so sexy,” Marius murmurs.

Lyf chuckles weakly. “Not bad yourself, handsome.”

Marius flops back onto his side of the bedroll. "Shit... that was good."

“It really was...you have. Very deft fingers.” Lyf lets their head rest back a bit. They are honestly still feeling the headache and wooziness but the dopamine helped.

"S-so do you. And an amazing tongue."

“I have plenty of practice.” Lyf licks off their fingers like a slut.

"Fuck..." 

“Again? Already?” Lyf smirks at him, sucking on all three fingers. They are much more confident in their flirting when they know someone is interested.

Marius snorts and bops their shoulder so gently it's really more of a push than a hit. "No, I need a bit to recover from that."

Lyf chuckles and rolls over towards him. “Probably need to sleep, anyway. Head trauma and whatnot.”

"Probably a good idea." Marius laughs sleepily. "I don't even have head trauma and I'm tired."

Lyf chuckles in a way that’s honestly closer to a hum. “We should sleep, then. That did actually help the headache a bit.”

"Glad to help then." Marius nods and cuddles against them again. Lyf wraps themself around him more freely than they did before. What’s he gonna do? Fuck them about it? They start to attempt sleep.

Marius lets his eyes slide closed and he falls back asleep pretty quickly, snoring quietly into their neck. Lyf follows soon after, exhausted and content in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm literally so sorry for these two idiots. they'll only be dumb for two more years don't worry


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our obnoxious duo arrives at Asgard, and the thicc plottens.

Marius wakes up first and enjoys the closeness for a little while before eventually untangling himself to adjust his clothes and start gathering breakfast. He never strays far from Lyf, but before too long he has a decent amount of food to munch on. They stir a bit as he strokes their hair, a crease forming in their brow as they resist consciousness. 

“Lyf. Lyf, s’time to get up,” Marius murmurs.

Lyf wakes with a very cute sleepy noise, sitting up, stretching, and rubbing at their eyes. Their hair is really messed up. Marius blushes a bit. Lyf blinks at him blearily. “Mornin’.”

"Morning. Breakfast?" He pushes the food he gathered towards them.

Lyf accepts it thoughtlessly. “Thanks. How long have you been up?”

"Not too long. Wanted to let you rest as long as I could, though."

Lyf makes another sleepy noise. “Sweet of you.” They pop a bite of food in their mouth, clearly not yet fully awake. Marius thinks they're. Very cute. He goes a little red and does his best to keep eating and not focusing on their lovely, talented, perfect mouth. Lyf eats quietly as they try to wake up, wishing they had ye olde coffee. They are mostly awake when they finish eating, and they make a small, contented noise. “Thanks again, Marius.”

"No problem." Marius smiles, hoping it doesn’t come off as too yearn-y. He has a huge crush already but he doesn’t know how to discuss it.

Lyf points in a very specific direction without really looking around. “Asgard is that way. Should be just a few hours’ ride.”

They certainly have a good sense of direction...they  _ do _ seem sure, though. "Alright. Want to get going then?"

“I’m ready if you are.” They pull their hair back in a low bun, not bothering to braid it. They sigh. “...I know I said I’d ride with you today, so we’ll just. Need to stop a bit closer and put armor back on and. Get on our own horses.”

"Alright. Let me know when you think it’s a good time." He swings himself onto his horse and offers them a hand up.

Lyf takes the hand and settles in comfortably. “Thank you.”

Marius wraps his arms around them comfortably and takes the reins, and Lyf leans back against him happily. Marius has a crush on them! They're so close! They smell nice! Their neck is right there and god he wishes his lips were on it right now. They make a soft, contented noise as he spurs the horses forward. After a bit of gay internal yelling, Marius figures he doesn’t want to make them uncomfortable and so he doesn't kiss them and doesn't bring up what the hell happened last night. The ride is peaceful, and even if Marius is confused and wants to be kissing them, the sway of the horse and the feeling of Lyf in his arms is comforting and so he can’t be too bothered about it for now.

“We should probably stop soon,” Lyf says after a while. “Get armor on and whatnot.”

"Ah. Okay." Marius slides off the horse and offers them a hand down.

Lyf takes the hand with a soft smile. “Thank you.” They hop down, resting a hand on his shoulder as they do. Marius blushes a little and gives a quick, nervous, gay smile before hs starts strapping his armor on. Lyf smooches his cheek before doing the same; they put their armor on carefully, sans helmet and oblivious to the gay suffering they’ve just caused.

Marius shakes himself out of his stupor. "Should I keep my helmet off?"

Lyf’s response is immediate- they were already pondering this. “Yes. Less defensive. Shows you have nothing to hide. Um, speaking of- if it comes up, I got the concussion when Brunhilde bucked me off.”

"Right. Good call." Marius keeps his helmet off as well.

Lyf finishes donning their armor first because they have much more practice. “Do you want some help with that?”

Marius goes a little red. "Ah. Yes. Please. Thank you."

“Of course.” They come around behind him to help fasten his breastplate, letting their fingers linger on his back much more than strictly necessary. Marius is very red now. God save him. He repeats his thank you.

“Of course,” Lyf repeats, a bit softer. “Need help with your cuisses?”

"Please, go ahead."

Lyf does just that, Once Again letting their touch linger on his upper thighs a bit because they’re flirting right? This is flirting?? He hasn’t been flirting with them today but like travel is exhausting and they’re sure he’s nervous.

"Thanks." Marius suppresses a shiver at the feeling. "Appreciate it."

“Happy to.” Lyf tightens it up and then stands, pressing a kiss to the place on his spine where his neck meets his back as they do.

Marius realizes that he needs to figure out exactly what they are and doesn't know how to approach it so he shall. Suffer. He rolls his shoulders a bit, testing his range in armor. "You're good at that." 

“I should hope so.” They huff a bit humorlessly. “Certainly had enough practice by now.”

"Guess that makes sense."

Lyf inspects the rest of his armor and tightens it in a few places. “I can show you how to get this done more efficiently later, if you like. You probably ought to know, given, um. You know.”

"Yeah. Probably a good idea. Thanks"

"Of course. I don't want you getting hurt or caught if we can help it." They give him one more once-over. "Alright, looks good." They pause. "We really should get you some that fit better soon."

"Have to get some money for that first..." Marius muses.

Lyf waves him off, heading back for Brunhilde. "Don't worry about that. It was my idea, I can cover it."

Marius remounts his horse. "I already owe you so much..."

Lyf mounts Brunhilde and gives him a look of distaste. "Please, don't. You don't owe me anything, okay? I don't- it was dumb luck that got me this stupid title, and it's dumb luck that you don't have one by birth. Think of it like you're doing me a favor, helping me flip off these assholes." They say all this in a sort of ramble and they clearly don't feel any less ruffled about the idea of him being indebted to them when they're done talking.

Marius presses his lips together, but that doesn't make him feel less like he owes them.

Lyf glances back and sighs at his expression. "Plus you've spent the last several days saving my ass. So."

Marius sighs. "I guess." He's not actually upset, he just. Doesn't really know how to deal with kindness.

Lyf regards him seriously and pulls Brunhilde back just a touch so they can take his hand and squeeze it gently once. "Hey. I'm glad to have you here. I hate these people. You're a welcome change of pace."

Marius goes red again. Fuck. They're nice  _ and _ hot; they're meeting all his standards.

Lyf smirks slightly. "You know, you look good in red." Then they let go of his hand and spur Brunhilde forward before he can react.

Marius takes a second to press his hands to his face and scream silently. Then he spurs his horse to keep following. 

They make it to the castle without much incident- the locals don't recognize Marius, of course, but they do recognize Lyfrassir, so they don't seem worried about it. Quite a few people regard Lyf in a friendly way, which they reciprocate, but they don't stop en route to Asgard. They are. Sort of anxious, as much as they're trying not to let on. Asgard is just...so fucking over the top. It's sort of obscene. Lyf falls back just slightly to enter alongside Marius rather than leading him, and then they dismount, passing Brunhilde's reins to a servant and gesturing for Marius to do the same.

Marius also tries very hard not to be nervous as he hands off his horse to the servant. He stole that horse fair and square. He cares about her.

"Thank you," Lyf says to the servant, who nods at them in acknowledgement. They give Marius a small smile as the servant walks away. "They'll take good care of her."

"They better..."

"They will." Lyf nods towards the throne room. "This way, Lord Marius."

They begin walking that way. Marius keeps his face as straight as possible but follows, trying not to let his eyes bulge out of his head at the use of his new ill-gotten title.

Lyf is walking straighter than should be possible for such a raging bisexual as they enter the throne room, bowing deeply and holding before the woman on the throne.

"Sir Lyfrassir. I was beginning to worry about you." Queen Odin doesn't look worried in the slightest, regarding Lyf's kneeling form with what can be described as vague interest at best. Her hair is braided intricately into a crown around her head, into which gems and golden chains and branches are woven. She wears a patch over one eye that is similarly golden, although it is more unadorned than one would expect from the rest of her yellow and gold regalia. Her eye turns its attention to Marius, her expression unchanging.

"My Queen." Lyf makes a slight motion with their fingers behind their back, still bowing in their armor and leaning on their sword, indicating that Marius should bow as well. "I must beg your forgiveness for my delay in returning to you."

Marius follows their lead and takes a knee, bowing deeply. He is wisely keeping his mouth shut, certain this woman could kill him with a look.

"Speak nothing of it, Lyfrassir. It is good to see you returned." Her smile doesn't reach her eye. "I have to admit I'm perplexed. I sent you to bring to justice one who would dishonor your fallen fellow and you seem to have brought him back as if an equal." She is still looking Directly At Marius.

"Yes, my Queen-" Lyf looks up at her, not rising fully from their bow. "I present to you Baron Marius von Raum, son of the late Sir Marius von Raum."

Odin's gaze is impassive. "Sir Marius had no son."

Lyf carefully continues to meet her eye. "He did not originally recognize him as a son, but he did have one. You know how he kept his affairs private."

"And you're just taking his word for it." She is Once Again looking at Marius.

Marius is just. Silent and tense. He has not been asked a direct question. He knows better than to speak without being spoken to, especially by a royal. Luckily, Lyfrassir has him covered.

"No, your Excellency, I would never be so foolish as to take the word of a stranger over yours." Lyf's tone is just. So over the top. But she seems to appreciate it well enough. "But it so happens that I recognized him upon sight- you'll recall that I went to visit with the late Sir Marius on several occasions, yes? I met him then. We were companions, then. It's been a while, but we were close enough though that I could recognize him anywhere, your Grace."

Odin regards Marius the entire time Lyf speaks. "Is that so?"

Marius looks up at her finally and says very smoothly, "Yes, My Queen. Sir Lyf and I are very intimate friends."

She raises an eyebrow at the use of the word intimate. "How intimate, exactly?" She turns her gaze to Lyfrassir.

Lyf visibly stals out a bit trying to think of what to say. 

Marius smiles up at her extremely charmingly. "Very, your Grace."

Lyf flushes, but nods.

"I see. Well." Odin turns her attention back to Lyf. "It is good that you're the one who was sent to apprehend him, then, Sir Lyfrassir. It would be unfortunate if something were to happen to the...heir to the von Raum estate." Her smile is charming, but it, again, doesn't reach her eye. "Of course, you'll have no problem hosting your very intimate friend in your quarters, then."

"N-no, your Majesty." Lyf turns up to look at her.

"Mm. Very well, then. I'm sure you're both very tired. Your chambers are made up as you left them."

It's a clear dismissal, and Lyf goes to their feet with another bow of the head. "Your Highness." They turn to leave with Marius.

Marius stands up as well and bows. "Thank you, My Queen."

Odin nods, and Lyf leads him out, walking at a carefully measured pace and their eye twitching slightly. They maintain their composure until they get back to their chambers. It's less lavish than the rest of the castle, it’s clearly by personal choice. They inhale shakily and exhale slowly, palms still pressed against the door from shutting it.

"So... she seems nice," Marius says, trying to infuse this situation with some levity.

Lyf chuckles humorlessly. "It. Could have gone much worse."

"I mean. Both our heads are still on our shoulders, so. I'm gonna count it as a win."

Lyf nods, whole body tense, and vaguely wishes they knew how to ask for a hug. They begin removing their armor, taking in the room with a sigh. 'As Lyf left them' always means that someone poked around. Marius starts removing his own armor. He doesn't know how to help them because he cannot read minds, unfortunately. Lyf finishes removing theirs quickly and then starts to help with his, not bothering to ask. Marius doesn't mind but Ah fuck he really wishes this didnt feel quite like them undressing him.

"...So. Since we're, ah. 'Intimate friends.' We should, mm. Probably discuss what that entails when we're in public." Lyf’s hand brushes over the back of his neck as they unclasp his breastplate, and Marius shivers a little.

“Um. Yes. Good idea. I mean if Odin already assumes as much, we can just say we're lovers."

"Shouldn't be too hard to convince people of that." They touch his skin unnecessarily as they set the breastplate aside, going to their knees behind him to undo his cuisses.

Marius blushes darkly. "Right. I mean. We did already do... what we did last night."

Lyf grins at his bashfulness. "Had excellent sex?" They run their knuckles over the inside of his thighs as they undo the straps.

Marius exhales shakily, feeling a bit of heat pool between his legs. "Yes. That."

Lyf continues undoing the straps in a very gay way. "The chemistry is certainly believable."

"It certainly is. How much pda is generally acceptable around here?"

"Mm. Officially or unofficially? Officially, lots of hand touching and stolen kisses. Unofficially I haven't gone a month without walking in on Thor banging someone in public since I met the guy. And that is. Not atypical." Lyf’s voice twists unpleasantly at the mention of Thor.

Marius blushes at this prospect. "Is fucking in public like. Expected of lovers in the unofficial capacity?"

They shrug. "It's expected of slutty lovers." 

"Does heavily implying we are fucking to the Queen earn us a reputation of being slutty?"

Lyf snorts. "I have that reputation either way, but. Yes, probably."

"It was... okay that I implied that, right?"

"Oh, absolutely. Gives us more time alone together, anyway. Smart move." Lyf stands again.

"Right. Smart." Marius blushes

Lyf starts looking around, shifting some books aside on their bookshelf. "If you don't want to fuck in public we don't have to, obviously."

"I-I know." He's bright red. "I-I mean I wouldn't be opposed necessarily."

Lyf isn't looking at him. They're shifting things aside, looking for something. They toss a few things on the floor. "That's not exactly enthusiastic consent."

Marius is just. Flustered. "I-I mean I'd like to probably work our way up to that. Get to know you first in the Official capacity and uh. In private.”

Lyf doesn't answer for a moment, staring at something their torso obscures from his sight. Then they start putting things back, and give him a cheeky grin. "I'd like that. Preferably we can start while conscious next time." 

"Definitely." Marius nods, still beet red. "Do you need help?"

Lyf shakes their head Immediately. "I've got it. Just- they fuck with things in here, sometimes. Just needed to be sure they- I'm fine."

"If you're sure..." Marius sits down on the bed.

Lyf just slightly double-takes at him on their bed, finding that they rather enjoy the way he looks there. "Thanks for offering, Marius."

"Of course. Least I can do."

"D'you need anything? I could call for dinner if you want."

"Food would be nice. "

Lyf rings a dinner bell by the door and crosses over to their wardrobeto change their shirt, the back of which is slightly torn and bloodied from falling on rocks. They just take their shirt off with their back to Marius and look for a new one. Marius averts his eyes as though he hadn't openly stared at their tits literally yesterday.

"Need a change of clothes?" They turn around to face him, pulling a shirt on, but titties still out.

Marius blushes. "Y-yes. Please." He tries to keep his eyes on their face

"You're welcome to come pick something if you want." They finish putting their shirt on. Their tits are still fully visible through the fabric.

Marius approaches the closet to look at the selection, determined to keep his head out of the gutter for at least a while. There are mainly neutral colors- blacks, greys, and whites. There are a few purple and red tunics as well, but they're far less plentiful. The trousers are all unlikely to fit, save for one pair that seems like it might be slightly large on even Marius.

Marius takes the larger pair of trousers and a grey shirt that looks like it will fit. "You should get some more colors. I think they'd look good on you."

Lyf blushes. "Maybe I will."

Marius smiles and turns away to strip, trying not to think about the fact that he's bearing his bare ass towards them.

Lyf assumes he's turning around for modesty's sake, so they chuckle a bit fondly and head back to the bed. "You know, normally I don't bother with trousers when I'm sleeping. Castle tends to run a bit hot in the summer."

Marius blushes. "Would you prefer I didn't wear any then?"

Lyf glances back at him. "If you'd be more comfortable without them. If you like having trousers on then go for it, more power to you." They gently don't answer the question. (The answer is yes.)

Marius sets aside the trousers and pulls the shirt on but doesn't button it.

Lyf doesn't remove their trousers yet. "You may want to get under the bedsheets- dinner should be up in a bit."

Marius approaches the bed, walking slowly and maybe trying to be deliberately sexy just a little bit. Lyf is not ashamed of the fact that they are checking him out. They already fucked, so. Their gaze holds obvious approval and desire. Marius climbs onto the bed and slides under the covers to preserve his modesty for whoever is bringing dinner It doesn't take long for dinner to arrive, and Lyf takes it with polite thanks before bringing the tray over to bed. They then doff their trousers because life is short and get under the covers with him. The food is a nice stew this evening, with fancy bread and some fruit. 

"I think I have a few bottles of wine stashed around here somewhere if you want some. Mead too, if you'd rather."

"That sounds dangerous." Marius grins. "I do enjoy mead."

Lyf snorts. "Dangerous? How so?" They do get up to go get that mead, hips swaying a bit.

"Alcohol and attractive people are a dangerous combination. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me, Sir Lyfrassir."

"Perish the thought," Lyf says in a voice not too far from a purr. They find the mead in a desk drawer and produce two glasses as well, returning to bed. "I'd hate for a handsome man to think that when I got into bed with him mostly nude I wanted to fuck him."

"Of course! That would be scandalous!" Marius laughs.

"In Asgard for all of an hour and already you're causing scandal." Lyf leans in flirtatiously. "Whatever will the courtiers say?"

"That I landed the sexiest person in court?" He grins.

Lyf chuckles, face red. "You may be biased by the fact that the only other member of court you’ve met is Odin herself."

"And she isn't sexy. Is that illegal to say?"

Lyf laughs. "Slightly. But we're already breaking enough laws, aren't we? What's one more between  _ very intimate friends _ ."

Marius blushes. "Are you making fun of my wording?"

"No, I'm just flirting with you. Is it not working?"

"It is, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't being mocked." He takes a long sip of his mead.

"I wouldn't mock you." Lyf says this very seriously, taking a sip of their own mead.

"Well. Thank you." Marius smiles softly.

Lyf gives him a soft smile back. "Could you finish eating so I can kiss you?"

Marius laughs but obliges, quickly finishing his stew and setting aside the dishes. Lyf pulls him in for a deep kiss, not too desperate yet, just. a little bit. Marius kisses them back with a soft noise, pulling them close against him, and Lyf weaves a hand through his hair with one hand while they cup his face with the other. Marius rests his hand on their ass, prompting Lyf to shift themself so that they're straddling him, grinding a bit against his bare abdomen, cunt already a bit wet. Marius moans into their mouth and grabs their ass more firmly. He can feel himself growing wet as well. Lyf makes a needy noise and deepens the kiss, gripping his hair tighter as their other hand trails down his torso. Marius bites their lower lip and fruitlessly tries to buck his hips even though there is nothing yet to grind against, and Lyf moans softly, pulling away to bite his neck as they put one of their legs between his so he can grind. Marius gives a long moan and ruts against them needily, now pretty well soaked. Lyf seems to get distracted for a bit, and Marius whines at the lessened intensity of their kiss, but they chuckle at his neediness and kiss him roughly, grinding their knee against his soaking cunt. Marius cries out loudly, grinding back desperately.

Lyf kisses down his jaw, pausing by his ear to murmur, “You trying to stir gossip, my Lord? Keep that up and within the hour the whole court will know you’re in here being ravaged by me.”

Marius moans. "S-so much for not fucking publically..."

“What, you can’t control yourself?” Their tone is low. “No one has to know if you can manage to keep quiet.” Lyf slips two fingers between his folds.

Marius bites his lip to stifle another moan

“Good boy,” Lyf murmurs. “Marks?”

Marius nods. He likes marks. Lyf sucks a mark high on his neck, following it with a bite.

Marius lets out a strangled sigh. "Fuck..."

Lyf hums. “I do have a few straps here if you want. Don’t know how big you like it. Or if you’d prefer this.” They slip a finger inside his cunt.

Marius bites his lip again, considering. "F-fuck. C-can I see your straps?"

“Sure can, gorgeous. Can you stand not to touch me for a minute?” they ask cheekily, nipping at his throat.

"Ah... d-dunno, it'll be awfully difficult."

“Hard, even.” Lyf thumbs at his dick. They were lying before. They love to be crass.

Marius moans at the feeling, bucking his hips. "F-fuck."

Lyf eases off of him, rising from the bed with a lingering kiss. “That’s the plan, handsome.”

Marius is once again struck with the fact that he has a massive crush on them. He tracks their movement with his eyes as Lyf crosses over to their dresser and opens the top cabinet, pulling out three straps: one girthy, short one of bronze, one moderately sized one of lacquered wood carved to have some fun ribbing, and one Long one of opaque glass. They also grab a bottle of almond oil.

Marius stares openly at them, wide-eyed and turned on. "Holy shit."

Lyf huffs a laugh. “Do you have a preference, then?” They come closer so he can inspect them. He has some mild decision paralysis before he picks up the wood one.

“Good choice,” Lyf praises, setting the others aside and putting on the belt it attaches to with their shirt still on. It’s a simple strap, going around their waist but with a part that goes between their legs, with some soft bristles on the inside near their cunt for them to grind against. They affix the strap in place. “This one’s my favorite.” They wink at him to make it clear they don’t mean to use on others.

Marius blushes. "Fuck... you're hot."

“So are you, Marius.” Lyf kisses him filthily, then murmurs against his lips, “You make such a pretty picture in my bed.”

Marius moans into their mouth and spreads his legs wide for them. Lyf teases between his folds with their fingers once again, grinding their strap slowly against his thigh to build anticipation.

"F-fuck..." Marius does his best to keep still because he wants to be good for them.

“Well-put, my liege,” Lyf teases, slipping two fingers into his cunt.

"H-hard to be eloquent w-with your fingers in my cunt..."

“Is it, now?” Lyf’s other hand slips under the strap between their legs, and they pull back a bit so he can get a good view of them sliding two fingers into their pussy. “I’m managing just fine.”

Marius groans. "Ch-cheater."

“How is this cheating?” Lyf bats their eyelashes at him. “I’m using the same number of fingers and everything. I am nothing if not an upholder of equality.”

"I-I don't know just fuck me, please"

Lyf scissors their fingers inside of him. “Patience, gorgeous. I don’t want to hurt you.” Their tone is more gentle than horny.

"I don't mind a little pain." Marius mumbles, a little thrown off by the gentleness.

Lyf gives him a Look. “Do you think you’re prepped enough?” It is clear from their tone that they do Not think he is.

Marius sighs. "Probably not. Sorry, it's just uh. Been a while. Barring. Last night. I don't mean to be impatient."

“It’s okay, handsome. I’ll have to make sure it isn’t quite so long before next time.” They smirk at him and work in a third finger carefully, Aware that he is feeling eager to get on with things. Marius moans, gripping at the bedsheets at the feeling. Lyf really only started fingering themself to tease him, so they pull their fingers out of themself as they spread the ones in him. They bring their fingers up to his lips. "Want a taste?"

He opens his mouth immediately to receive their fingers, licking them clean eagerly.

Lyf's breath hitches slightly. "You have a lovely mouth."

Marius pulls off their fingers with an obscene pop. "Shame you haven't had it on your cunt yet."

Lyf inhales sharply, expression one of blatant lust. "We'll have to rectify that."

"We certainly will." He smirks, and Lyf is reminded of how prone they are to violently switch from dommy to subby mid-scene and gently tucks his smirk away to furiously wank about later, crooking their fingers inside him the way they did last night.

Marius gasps. "F-fuck... your fingers."

"Actually, my fingers are fucking you." Lyf thrusts their fingers into him sharply to prove their point. Marius cries out and bucks his hips shallowly against their fingers. Lyf stretches him out just a bit more. "Think you're ready for me, Marius?"

"Fuck, yes, please, fuck me."

Lyf pulls their fingers out, sucking them clean with a small moan before pouring oil in their hands to slick up the dildo, stroking it as if they could actually feel it while raking their eyes over his nude form. Marius moans as he watches them, running a hand down himself and then back up to tease his nipple.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous." Lyf lines themself up and pushes in slowly.

Marius lets out a long low groan as they ease in. "Hah... f-feels amazing..."

"I know." Lyf smirks, resting inside him once fully seated and then pulling back to start rocking into him at a torturously slow pace.

Marius hisses at the slowness of the pace. "Fuck."

"'S what we're doing." Lyf brings a hand down to his dick, just as teasing.

"Fuck harder." Marius pouts at them.

Lyf grabs his hands and pins them above his head with both hands, leaving his dick neglected. Their voice is a growl. "Awfully demanding for someone completely at my mercy." They do not increase their pace.

Marius moans. "Qu-quit being pedantic a-about my use of expletives th-then."

"No, I don't think I will." Lyf bites his neck hard, just below his jaw. "Didn't anyone ever teach you any manners?"

"No." Marius grins.

"I suppose I'll have to fuck some into you, then." They thrust sharply into his sweet spot and then stay still, holding his hands above his head with one hand and holding his hips in place with the other. They are smirking very smugly.

Marius grunts, trying not to give them the satisfaction of being loud but  _ fuck. _

Lyf moves their hips in slow circles, enjoying the bristles against their clit as they tease him. "I think you know what to say if you want something, don't you? You were being so good for me earlier."

He struggles against their grip halfheartedly. "Fuck..."

Lyf just tightens their grip. "No, that's not it. Try again."

"Mmm, fuck you?" He grins

Lyf stills completely. "If you don't learn some goddamn manners I just might fuck myself instead."

Marius grunts to stop himself from whining. "You might?"

“Unless you stop wasting my time being such a brat. Look at yourself, do you really think you’re fooling anyone? We both know what a needy slut you are.”

He doesn't manage to suppress a moan this time at the insult. "M-maybe I like being a brat."

Lyf gives him a flat, unimpressed look. "Maybe so. But only good boys get to come. If you're fine with not getting an orgasm..." They thrust into him hard.

Marius can't stop the cry that comes out of his mouth at that. "F-fuck, that's more l-like it. Th-that's how you fuck some manners into a g-guy."

Lyf's brow furrows into a glare at the vague implication that they were doing something wrong before as they fuck him harder, kissing him hard and biting his lip hard enough to make him bleed just so he'll shut his fucking mouth. Marius is surprised at the sudden change of tone but fuck if he doesn't think it's hot. He moans openly into the kiss. Lyf just fucks him brutally, intentionally just not hitting his g spot to drive him up the metaphorical wall.

Marius desperately grips at their hips, gasping for air. "Fuck! S-sorry I'm sorry p-please!"

Lyf changes absolutely nothing about their technique. “Not good enough, Marius.” They are referring to his apology, and his pleas.

Marius whines. "Please, please, touch me, I'm sorry, 'll d-do a-anything please!"

Lyf thumbs just above his dick but doesn't actually touch it. "Anything?"

"Anything, fuck,  _ Lyf _ !"

Lyf grinds their thumb against his dick and shifts their angle so they're hitting his sweet spot, their pace even more brutal than before. They haven't decided what they want from him yet so they leave a cluster of dark hickeys on his throat instead, sucking and biting him nonstop. Marius cries out loudly, now fully lost in the fucking sauce as Lyf brutalizes his cunt with their hard strap and rough fingers, and screams as he comes, gripping desperately at the sheets.

Lyf doesn't let up. "No fucking self-control, you filthy little slut, I doubt the rumor mills even need to make the rounds, I'm sure they can hear you screaming at the other end of the castle, needy fucking cocksleeve."

"Ah! Fuck, p-please, I came, p-please, y-you can st-stop!" Marius keens.

Lyf doesn't stop. "But you begged me for this, Marius, you wanted this, and I don't think you've learned your lesson yet." They actually start fucking him harder, panting from exertion. "And you said you'd do anything I want. I want you to cry for me. And I want you to come again on my strap."

Marius cries out again, gripping their shoulders desperately. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"That's- what we're- doing!" Lyf rubs his dick mercilessly.

Marius sobs as he writhes underneath them, already nearing the edge again.

"That's m-more like it. Think I like you better like this. So pretty with tears on your cheeks." They grip his wrists bruisingly. Marius screams again as he comes, tears still streaming down his face. Lyf has mercy and slows to a stop after fucking him through it. They kiss the tears from his cheeks. "You alright?"

Marius nods, panting desperately to catch his breath. Lyf pulls out of him and takes off their harness, sitting beside him and pulling him into their lap a bit so he can avoid that nasty subdrop. Marius isn’t used to getting good aftercare and snuggles into them with a soft noise. 

"W-what can I do f-for you?"

"You can rest for a moment if you need to." They kiss his forehead. "Then I'd love to get that lovely mouth on me if you're feeling up to it."

Marius nods, taking a second to collect himself. "You want to sit on my face? Or would you rather lay back?"

Lyf hums contemplatively. "'m a bit worn out, honestly, as nice as sitting on your face sounds."

Marius laughs and pushes them back, kissing down their neck, pausing at their chest to suck one of their nipples.

Lyf inhales sharply at the feeling, very keyed up from just receiving absolutely zero attention to their body before now. He smirks up at them and unclips the strap from around their waist and sits up to put it into his mouth, trailing his free hand down their thigh Lyf bites their lip at the sight. He is. Incredibly sexy. But they're patient, and they aren't going to beg. They'll see what he wants to do to them. He sucks the strap clean and slides a single finger into them just to test how wet they are: fucking  _ soaked _ . They make a soft noise at the finger being slid into them.

"Mm..." Marius smirks around the strap and slides another finger in, scissoring them softly. He pulls the strap out of his mouth and wipes it off on their stomach, slowly and sensually.

Lyf moans, letting their head fall back against the pillows. "God, Marius..."

Marius smiles and leans down to press a kiss just above their bush, and Lyf keens faintly, weaving a clean hand through his hair. He stretches them open enough for a third finger and finally presses a kiss to their dick, though it's chaste (as much as kissing a dick can be). Lyf is all but panting, but they are Stubborn and if he wants them to beg he’ll have to earn it. But in the meantime, Lyf enjoys being teased. Marius crooks his fingers inside of them, searching, as he licks their dick teasingly, light and flickering like a flame.

Lyf whimpers at the teasing, then gasps when he finds what he’s looking for. “There, fuck...”

Marius strokes that spot firmly, and licks their dick a little harder. They clutch his hair, grinding up into his face a bit involuntarily. Marius moans into their cunt and then pulls back to grab the almond oil and re-slick the strap. "Think you deserve a taste of your own medicine." He grins and works the strap into them a little roughly, returning his face to their dick to swirl his tongue around their cock. Lyf was not necessarily prepared to have a strap worked into them like that and they whine at the roughness, brow furrowed even as he returns to their dick, taking deep breaths and focusing on the pleasure instead of the slight pain because they have not taken a dick of any sort in a While. His mouth is skilled, though, so it's a good distraction. He keeps the strap still inside them as he focuses on their dick, occasionally turning his head to nip at their inner thighs as before returning quickly to tease them with his tongue again. Lyf clenches around the strap, adjusting to it, as they buck their hips into his touch, seeking the relief of his mouth. They bite their lip to try to stay quiet. Marius starts to gently move the strap inside of them, sucking on their dick hard, and Lyf whimpers quietly, gripping his hair hard as they move their hips up against his mouth. He speeds his pace with the strap, moaning against them. Lyf breaks the skin of their lip a bit, forcing his face hard against their cunt and grinding openly. They whisper a string of curses. Marius fucks them on the strap hard, angling for the spot he was stroking earlier, continuing to suck them.

"Fuck, Marius, like that, m'so close please-"

Marius keeps going, too focused on his task now to think about edging them, and Lyf comes with a soft cry of his name, pulling hard on his hair. Marius hisses softly at the pain but he licks them through it, continuing to work the strap inside them.

Lyf loosens their grip but continues to grind up against his mouth, panting heavily.

Marius pulls away briefly. "Care for another?"

"Please," Lyf murmurs, looking at him with hazy eyes.

Marius nods and nips at their thigh again, then picks up the pace with the strap. He puts his mouth back on their dick and begins to lick mercilessly. Lyf lets out a long moan, hips twitching forward into the pleasure. "Fuck, Marius, your mouth, fucking Christ..."

Marius doesn't take his mouth off of them because god they taste good despite how tempted he is to comment about their use of expletives.

It doesn't take long at all like this for their pleasure to build again. "Marius, close, please..."

He sucks hard on their dick, fucking them as hard as he can on the strap. Lyf brings a hand up to bite the back of it, whimpering softly into it and clenching hard around the strap. Marius once again licks them through it, pulling out the strap to lick from hole to cock. Lyf shudders at the feeling, very much worn out. 

"Mm, fuck, m'done, c'm'up here." 

Marius licks the strap clean again then sets it aside to crawl up and kiss them softly. Lyf melts into him a bit, humming contentedly. They rest a hand in his hair and the other gently on the small of his back. Marius wraps his arms around them, hands resting on their upper back. They’re very happy to just kiss him for a while. They're slightly sore and they imagine he is, too, but his arms feel safe in a way they choose not to look too deep into right now.

Sore does eventually win out over Gay and they pull away with a faint hum. "Mm, should probably get a washcloth..." They are a bit boneless.

Marius nods. "Where d'you keep them?"

"Below the sink, but I can..." 

Marius struggles out of bed and walks (a little funnily) to the bathroom to get a couple of washcloths.

Lyf makes a few weak noises of dispute before letting their head fall back. "Thanks."

Marius gently presses one of the cloths between their legs. "Of course."

Lyf lets out a soft noise. "C'mere, I can help you, too..." 

He climbs back onto the bed properly and hands them the other cloth, keeping his own cloth pressed against their dick.

Lyf presses the cloth between his legs, covering his cunt and dick. If ice pacs existed they would give him one. They rest their head against his shoulder, still craving touch.

Marius leans his head against theirs. "Thanks."

Lyf hums as if to say of course. "That was really good."

"It was. Fuck. You're amazing at that."

Lyf blushes a bit. "Thank you. So are you." They hesitate. "I'm. Not always in the mood for uh, pain? When I'm receiving?"

Marius goes a little pale. "Oh, shit, I'm so sorry, I should have asked."

"It's fine, it wasn't a big deal, I wasn't Not in the mood for it, I just also wasn't prepared for it." They are trying very hard to be chill about this but he can feel that they've been tense since just before they mentioned it.

"I promise it won't happen again without permission," he says sincerely.

Lyf relaxes a bit. "Thank you, Marius."

"Of course. I enjoy giving people pleasure. No fun if my partner is uncomfortable."

Lyf kisses his cheek. "You're certainly good at giving people pleasure."

"I try."

Lyf wraps their free arm around his waist. It's a really nice change of pace, feeling safe after doing that.

Marius hums softly. "Gonna be hard to ride a horse after this."

Lyf laughs softly and pleasantly. "You shouldn't have to ride anywhere for at least a few days." 

Marius notes that they don’t include themself in that, but chooses not to comment on it. "Hopefully." 

"You'll probably be neck-deep in legalese, unfortunately."

"Oh fun." Marius groans.

"If you ask for me there, I can be. Could be your escort." They really hit each syllable of 'escort'. They are Aware of the connotations and they are aware of what the court thinks of them anyway.

"I'd appreciate that." Marius blushes a little.

"You'll just have to tell whoever comes to harass you about that tomorrow, then. It- wouldn't be unreasonable, anyway, for you to want. Protection." They purse their lips, assuming he knows why.

"Not unreasonable but sometimes it feels better without." He winks to show he is making a joke. He would definitely prefer to have protection if it comes to that.

Lyf snorts. "Are you ever not horny?" They say this fondly.

"Not often." He laughs.

Lyf chuckles and kisses his neck softly because they are sort of thinking about the fact that haha they definitely need to be with him tomorrow or Odin will probably just have him killed. "Please do ask to have me with you, Marius."

"I will. Definitely."

"Thank you." They continue to just sit with him like this for a while, holding the washcloth in place as they take in the odd comfort of his presence.

"Thank you. I have a feeling you're going to be saving my ass a lot."

"It's a nice ass," Lyf says mildly.

Marius laughs. "Well, I'm pretty attached to it. Literally."

"You're a lucky man."

He laughs again.

"M'feeling a bit better if you want me to get us some water."

"That's okay. I can get it."

Lyf is starting to get oddly anxious about him taking care of them like this, and they know it's not rational, but they also know that they aren't in a good place to unpack that in any capacity, so. "Let me." They kiss him softly and then roll over to grab their empty glasses and walk (a bit funny) to the bathroom to fill them with water. Marius watches them appreciatively. Lyf comes back and sits beside him, handing him his glass and raising theirs in a mock toast. "Here's to excellent sex and still having our heads attached."

Marius clinks his glass against theirs. "Cheers."

They both down their glasses quickly. They're parched. Then Lyf has a thought and crosses over to the door, taking both of their glasses and setting them on the table. They fiddle with the lock and then try the door. It won't open. They don't seem satisfied with this, and they cross back over to the desk.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." They grab the chair and position it under the door. "Just. Paranoid." They aren't being paranoid; they know other people have keys to this room. They know that Marius's existence is a threat to Odin's claim to Sir Marius's estate, and they don't want to wake up next to his corpse with a murder pinned on them.

"Fair enough. So am I. Are there servants' doors?"

"Not to this room, no." They huff. "Not important enough for all that. Just fine by me."

"Good. Better somewhere with fewer entrances."

"Agreed." They return to bed. "I'm a light sleeper anyway. I'll just. Lay on you. They won't be able to get to you without waking me." 

"I'm a light sleeper as well. Extra protection."

Lyf nods, slightly comforted, and slips under the covers. They don’t bother to put their shirt back on. “Okay. Good. That chair is bloody heavy anyway so it’s unlikely that anyone would be able to sneak in.”

"Good. I'm sick of people trying to kill me in my sleep."

Lyf looks understandably distressed about that and they gesture for him to get under the covers. “I won’t let them hurt you.” Their tone lightens a bit. “And I certainly won’t be trying to kill you. Except perhaps la petite mort.”

Marius blushes but laughs at the joke. He gets under the covers and settles in. "I certainly wouldn't complain about that."

Lyf, true to their word, more or less lays on top of him after blowing out their bedside candle. The light filtering through the window will fade soon enough. “I should certainly hope not.”

Marius laughs softly and wraps his arms around them, and although they’re still tense, he closes his eyes, hoping his being relaxed will help them as well. Lyf continues to be tense in the direction of the door for a while, but they are fighting a losing battle against fatigue and a literal concussion so it doesn't take long before they keep drifting and then waking up again each time they realize they're asleep. Marius struggles to sleep at all despite his own fatigue. He's not used to bed partners sleeping literally on top of him and he's feeling a little bit trapped despite the fact that he's not planning on leaving in the morning like normally.

Lyf eventually rolls over and puts some distance between the two of them because the only reason they can think of for him not being asleep yet is that he doesn't want to be touching them. Which is fine. That's a familiar sentiment in situations like this, so they at least know how to deal with that. They lay on their side of the bed with their back to him.

Marius isn't quite satisfied with that either but it helps and he begins to doze lightly Lyf feels like their skin is crawling for reasons they don't really have the presence of mind to address, but they eventually fall into a fitful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly domestic fluff with some lore. A dog is procured.

Marius wakes up first, not feeling particularly rested. He sits up and stretches, wincing a bit at the residual pain between his legs. Lyf is still facing away from him, stirring restlessly but very much unconscious. Marius stands up and checks that the chair is still well in place before going to splash some water on his face and wake himself up. It’s...weird, to say the least, waking up in a palace, in a strange room. But Lyf is a bit familiar at this point, if nothing else. Marius is walking back into the main room, pressing a towel to his face, when Lyf bolts upright, clutching their heart and panting, eyes clouded with colors for a moment.

"Lyf?" Marius rushes over to them and kneels down, not sure whether they want to be touched or not. By the time he's by their side their eyes are clear, and they take a moment to identify where they are and who Marius is. Then they are. Embarrassed. They swallow. 

"Sorry, m'fine- did I say anything?"

"No, you just kind of bolted upright, like you had a nightmare."

Lyf seems vaguely relieved. "Right. Okay. Um. Nothing to worry about, I- that happens, when I sleep here." Their eyes flit over to the bookcase unconsciously for a moment before meeting his again. 

Marius is more than sightly concerned but he doesn't want to press further and make things uncomfortable. "Okay... if you're sure."

Lyf kisses his cheek softly. "I appreciate the concern."

"Well. Hey, we survived the night!"

Lyf chuckles a bit humorlessly. "We certainly did." It's so damn early for them to have such a headache.

"Is there a place to get breakfast around here?"

Lyf hums. "Could ring it up here. Could brave the masses."

"Might have to brave the masses. More witnesses." Lyf's paranoia has already started rubbing off on him.

Lyf huffs a bit humorlessly. "They won't do things in the daylight. The staff, at least, is nice. But we can brave the masses. You feeling a proper bath first?"

"Sure." Marius decides not to bring up his assumption that poison would be a thing. Lyf knows poison exists but they also know that there are poisons which take far too long to kick in for it to make a difference whether they consume it around others. They stretch, the covers slipping down a bit. Marius remembers that he is gay and goes a little red.

Lyf stands. "I can draw a bath. Would you rather bathe alone?"

"I don't mind bathing together." Marius tries to say this nonchalantly but he's. Gay

Lyf is Also Gay. "Cool." Very smooth, Lyfrassir. "Um. I'll do that then." They head towards the bathroom, wincing a bit from the pain as they walk. Marius is also still walking a little funny as he follows them. Lyf draws a warm bath. "Any scent opinions? I have a few oils..."

"Oh... maybe something... citrus-y?"

Lyf grabs a bottle of clear oil and pours it into the tub. It smells like lemon. Marius smiles. He has not actually ever had a scented bath before. He's usually lucky if he gets a bath at normal intervals at all. Lyf dips a toe into the bath and hisses slightly because it is Too Hot. They adjust the temperature a bit, a cute furrow in their brow as they do this. Marius stares at them openly. He has a crush.

Lyf glances up at him and smiles softly. "This feel like a comfortable temperature for you?"

He blinks because Ah. Right. Bath. He tests the temp and nods. "Yeah, it's good.”

"Do you want to be in front or behind?"

"Mm... behind."

"Alright." They gesture for him to get in. Marius slides in and sinks down, opening his legs so they can settle between them. Lyf sinks into the bath with a sigh of satisfaction. They are. So fucking sore. They didn't really realize how sore they were from all the injuries and riding and fighting they've been doing. They lay back against him, trying not to think about how intimate this is. He wraps his arms around them comfortably. Lyf crosses their arms around themself, holding his arms. They turn their head so they're resting their face in the crook of his neck.

"This is nice..." Marius murmurs.

Lyf hums. "It is. I don't remember the last time I bathed with someone, actually."

"Mm I don't think I've actually ever bathed with someone. At least not since I was like 5 and had to share a bath with my brothers."

Lyf laughs softly. "This is definitely the most pleasant bath I've taken with another person."

"Me too."

Lyf kisses his jaw softly. Marius closes his eyes happily, content with the feeling of just cuddling with them in the warm bath. Lyf starts to doze again for concussion reasons. They are still not doing hot. Marius resists the urge to doze for shitty sleep reasons and starts to gently wash their hair. Lyf stirs a bit, making a very very cute sleepy noise. Marius has a big crush. He continues washing their hair tenderly, kneading shampoo into their scalp in a manner as close to a massage as he can manage.

Lyf's eyes flutter open and they look up at him through their eyelashes and. Immediately blush.

Marius blushes too. "Is this okay?"

"Mhm." Lyf closes their eyes again, melting into his touch. "Feels nice. You're a beautiful sight to wake up to."

He blushes even more deeply. "Thanks." No one's ever told him that before. Mostly because he's usually gone by the time his bedpartners wake up, but. Still.

Lyf hums their acknowledgement. "...I don't usually sleep with people."

"You mean like sleep sleep?"

"Sleep sleep, yeah." They're blushing.

"Ah." He isn't sure he should tell them that he does it often. "That makes sense. You have your own bed."

Lyf opens their eyes, regarding him with minor confusion. "I mean. I do. But so do the people I fuck. I just don't feel safe with them." They are. Red.

"Oh. Should I have slept on the floor?" Marius’s brow furrows in concern.

Lyf's expression is one of gentle and fond exasperation. "That's. Obviously not what I was saying."

Marius blushes. "Sorry. I'm not really used to... staying."

Lyf's expression softens. "I'm...not, either, really."

"Well. Guess we have something in common then "

Lyf is quiet for a moment. "...I was trying to say I feel safe with you."

"Oh." Marius blushes. "Well. Thank you.'

Lyf snuggles into him. "Thank you. I...don't. Usually. Feel, um."

"Safe?" Marius snuggles back. "Me neither."

Lyf hums and gently doesn’t say they hope he feels safe with them, because it feels just. So deeply presumptuous. But they do hope he feels safe with them. They rub small circles on his thigh with their thumb absentmindedly.

Marius feels safer with Lyf than he ever has with anyone else, though that's kind of a low bar. He kisses the back of their head and does his best to keep his eyes open.

Lyf scooches forward in the water a bit to rinse their hair out in the water, giving him a small smile since they have to tip their head back to do this. “Still sleepy?”

Marius nods. "Been a while since I slept in a bed. It was almost too comfortable." He laughs.

Oh. Lyf cares about him. They attempt humor. “I’d be happy to fill the bed with bark if that would help you sleep better.” 

Marius laughs softly. "I'll survive."

“You’re so brave.” Lyf grabs the conditioner and starts to work it into their hair.

"Braver than any fantasy US knight."

Lyf laughs softly, gay for him. “And more honorable by leagues.”

Marius scoffs. "That's a low bar."

“Hm. Sorry to damn you with faint praise.” They grab the soap. “I’d compare you to someone else but I’m afraid everyone else who comes to mind would similarly set a very low bar.”

"Fair enough." Marius snorts.

Lyf washes themself off and then looks up at him. “Want me to wash your hair?”

"Sure. Thank you." Marius is a little gay about this.

Lyf shifts themself so they’re kneeling between his legs facing him and grabs the shampoo, lathering it into his hair. “It’s my pleasure.”

Marius closes his eyes and just lets himself enjoy the feeling. Lyf might stare at his pretty face while his eyes are closed, and if they do that’s their business. He’s gorgeous. They are so so fucked. They give him a nice scalp massage hair wash combo.

"God you're good at that." He opens one eye to smile at them.  _ Fuck _ they're still the most beautiful person he's ever seen.

Lyf smiles at him. Ah...they’re glad he doesn’t know that hair care is regarded as more intimate than sex here. They really like bathing with people and they rarely have anyone they want to do it with. “Thank you. Dexterous fingers, you know how it is.” They wink.

"You have very nice fingers." Marius agrees, his smile widening to a grin

Lyf’s own smile widens as well. “I’m certainly glad you feel that way. Works out well for us.”

"It certainly does." Marius smiles and leans forward to kiss them

Lyf reciprocates happily, their hands still caught in his hair. Marius gently runs his hands down their body tenderly. Lyf shivers slightly at the feeling, taking in a breath against his lips before licking into his mouth slowly, sensually. Marius opens his mouth contentedly, brushing his tongue against theirs Lyf runs their hands down from his scalp to his shoulders, pulling him closer as they hum softly into his mouth. Marius rests his hands on their hips, sighing contentedly through his nose. Lyf somewhat awkwardly adjusts themself so their knees are on either side of him rather than between his legs, letting them press closer to him. They place a hand on the small of his back. Marius makes a small happy noise into their mouth, making Lyf smile into the kiss. Fuck, he’s so cute.

They’d probably be content to kiss forever, but the water starts to get cold and Lyf pulls away, a bit embarrassed at having let the time get away from them. “We should, um, probably finish your hair.”

"Oh. Yeah, probably." Marius chuckles. He'd almost forgotten.

Lyf also chuckles, gay and embarrassed. They quickly rinse the shampoo out and then work in the conditioner. “You’re very distracting, my liege.” They use the title more like an inside joke than like they’re teasing him.

Marius smiles and shakes his head. "So are you, good sir."

Lyf smiles softly. Even though he’s lightly teasing, he’s the only person who really uses their title and doesn’t mean it as an insult. “However will we get anything done, honestly.”

"At the very least we can get each other done." Marius grins.

Lyf giggles. “What else do we need to do, really?”

"I can't seem to think of anything else."

“One-track mind, I see. Scoundrel.” They say this very fondly.

He laughs. "That's me."

Lyf kisses him quickly and then rinses out the conditioner. “I happen to like scoundrels, so you’re in luck.”

"Lucky me." Marius smiles fondly.

Oh, fuck, right, Lyf is still gay. They blush very hard at his expression. They grab the soap and begin washing him so they can focus on Not that expression because they know they will inevitably be stupid about this but it’s a bit early for them to start in earnest.

Marius. Is a fool. And misinterprets their embarrassment as discomfort so he decides to back off a little bit emotionally.

Lyf gently smooches his cheek while washing him because they literally cannot stop themself. Marius now thinks he perhaps misinterpreted their discomfort, but doesn’t know what exactly to do with his confusion.

Lyf has no way to tell that he’s confused, so they just suffer separately and silently. “Alright, think you’re clean now, handsome.”

"Shame. Guess you'll have to get me all sweaty again later." He winks.

Lyf grins. “Oh no, however will I cope.”

"I don't know about you, but fucking is my coping mechanism."

“You don’t say. That hasn’t worked well for me. Maybe I’m just fucking the wrong people.” They give him a small smirk. “I can always use more coping mechanisms.”

"Well I'd be happy to help you cope however you want."

Lyf jokes, “You want to learn how to stress knit?”

Marius takes this suggestion semi-seriously. "I mean. That sounds like it could actually be useful so hell yeah."

Lyf is gay. “I can teach you if you want. We can cope with excellent sex while wearing comfy sweaters.”

"Hell yeah."

Lyf smiles. “Let’s get out of this cold water for now.”

"Probably a good idea. Probably ill-advised to knit in the bath."

Lyf laughs sincerely. “I have done it. But breakfast should. Happen. At some point.”

"Yes correct. We should do that." Marius stands up and offers them a hand. Lyf takes his hand, standing after starting the drain.

"We're a little pruny now." He laughs.

Lyf holds up a wrinkled hand. “Finally. My skin looks as old as I feel.” They say this deadpan, even though they are literally younger than Marius.

"Mm, same here." Marius holds up his own to twine his fingers around theirs. Lyf makes a face of utter gay yearning. That is. A very sweet gesture. Marius's stomach ruins the gay moment by choosing that second to growl.

Lyf laughs softly. “Let’s get dressed.”

Marius blushes a little and nods, grabbing a towel to dry both of them off. Lyf lets themself be dried off, gay. They wring their hair out and start braiding it back.

Marius watches them do it, admiring the way it stands out against their dark skin. Lyf kisses him softly while still braiding, and Marius kisses them back happily. Lyf is being so fucking stupid about this. They’re such an idiot. He’s got the softest lips they’ve ever kissed. They never want to stop kissing him. They do, though, after typing off their braid. Marius smiles at them and rubs his hair dry with the towel. Lyf helps him with that. They have to go on tiptoes.

Lyf smooches his jaw before setting the towel aside and leading him back to the wardrobe to pick some clothes. He puts on the oversized pants that are the only ones that would fit him from their wardrobe and then grabs one of the bigger red shirts they have in there.

Lyf is gay about him in their clothes. Well. Their tunic. Those trousers belong to royalty, or they used to. “We can go pick out some better-fitting clothes for you at some point, if you like.”

"That's probably advisable." He nods.

“Tomorrow, maybe? Or today if they don’t send for you.”

"The sooner the better so... yes today if they don't send for me"

Lyf nods. “It’s a plan, then. Although you look nice in my tunic.”

Marius blushes a little. "It is comfy."

“Of course it is. I only get soft shirts. I don’t care for sensory hell.” It is a very soft shirt.

It's a little tight on him but in a kind of sexy way. He likes it. Lyf thinks he’s really sexy and this is apparent from their expression but they put on a plain black tunic and trousers of the same ilk.

Marius holds out his arm with a smile. "Shall we, then?"

Lyf takes his arm with a soft smile. “We shall.” They lead him out, kicking the door shut behind them. Marius follows them happily through the halls to the dining hall. They were in the bathroom for so long that it’s pretty sparse. There’s still a bunch of food set out on the dining tables, clearly a sort of “take what you want” deal.

"What are you in the mood for?" Lyf asks.

“Protein that isn’t jerky,” Lyf says with a hint of exasperation at their recent diet.

"Mm, good idea. I see some ham over there?"

“I like ham,” Lyf says simply, leading him in that direction. They grab a sweet roll on the way and take a bite out of it before offering it to Marius.

Marius smiles and takes a bite as well. Lyf sits down very close to him and gives the most petty smile in history to a dude sitting across the hall staring at them. Marius winks at him and feeds Lyf another bite of the roll.

Lyf takes a bite but doesn’t look away from the man. They get both of them some ham and say in a low voice, “I wouldn’t do or say anything that the courtiers could construe as flirting with them.”

"I was going for smug bragging but I will keep that in mind."

“I know what you were going for.” Lyf’s external demeanor is still pleasant but they have stiffened. “Potatoes?”

"Potatoes sound great, thanks."

Lyf scoops him some scalloped potatoes, then scoops some for themself. They put an arm around Marius possessively, making direct eye contact with the guy as they do so, and then begin to eat. Marius simply avoids eye contact with the guy and digs in. Lyf eventually glares at the guy so hard he leaves and they relax after that.

"What's up with that guy?"

Lyf hums disapprovingly. “That’s Prince Thor. He’s.” They just take a bite of their food. “...I shouldn’t say in public.”

"Prince is all you needed to say."

Lyf huffs humorlessly. “You’re a smart man.”

"Not really. Just easy to assume."

“It’s a smart assumption,” Lyf insists, noting that he is trying to dodge a compliment.

He shrugs a little awkwardly. Lyf just simply smooches his cheek. They have time to help with the self esteem thing. Marius blushes a little, and Lyf pours them both water. Marius takes a sip and smiles at them. Lyf smiles back softly. They’re pretty gay over his smile. He is gay right back. It doesn’t take too long for them to finish eating.

Lyf hums contemplatively. “...I think if they were going to send for you today they would have by now. Hm. To the stables, or would you rather walk into town?”

"How far is town?"

“We passed through it on our way in- it’s a twenty or thirty minute walk on foot to the main areas.”

"A walk sounds nice."

“We should head back to our quarters first.” They are Not walking around with Marius without a sword handy.

"Alright." Marius finishes his water and stands up.

Lyf leads him back to their room, where they consider donning chain mail but end up just strapping their sword to their side. They also grab a coin purse. Marius straps on his own sword as well.

“Ready to head out, Marius?” Lyf is ready by the door.

"Absolutely."

Lyf offers him their arm with a shy smile. Marius links his arm with theirs, returning the smile happily.

Lyf leads Marius out of the castle and into the beautiful day. The further they get from the castle, the more Marius can feel them relax, the hand on the hilt of their sword loosening its grip and then swinging by their side.

Marius is happy to see them more relaxed. He cares about them.

“Sorry that the court is...the way that it is.”

"No problem. Not your fault."

“Still. Unfortunate that you’re stuck here, too, now.” They pause. “...You do know what they’re. Going to summon you about, right?”

"To see if I'm legit?"

Lyf hums noncommittally. “They won’t be quite so direct about that. And it won’t be a thing they test you on once and then move on from. It’s- since Sir Marius’s death, the Queen has been in the process of assuming his assets.” They pause. “But now he has an heir.”

"Right. So am I supposed to cede part of it to make her happy or...?"

“...Maybe. But I wouldn’t lead with that or she’ll never respect you. Better to wait until things are wrapping up and then volunteer something as a gift. To ‘thank her for her hospitality.’”

"How much stuff do I actually have a claim to?"

Lyf blows air out of their mouth. “Decent estate, money, technically a small village...”

"Well. The money is nice."

“You deserve it.”

"Well. Kinda. I guess."

“You do.” Lyf gives him an affectionate gay look. “You’re a much better person than anyone else here.”

"Cause I didn't have money or an estate."

“Do you really think just having money is the thing that makes someone bad?” They don’t ask this in a judgemental or condescending tone. “Loki and Sigyn have always had money. They’re not like the rest of them.”

"No, but keeping it all to yourself does."

Lyf clearly doesn’t disagree. “Yeah. I was just- you would still be good with- oh, nevermind.” They’re blushing faintly as they realize they were being way too sincere for a minute.

"I'm not worried about my own soul or anything now that I've conned my way into money. Just... I don't know. I probably would have been... very different. If I wasn't born where and how I was."

Lyf hums. “It’s...hard to say what makes a person who they are, yeah. I was raised in poverty, taking care of my sister. When I found out about our lineage, I entered into...all of this, so that she could have better. But now she’s...very different than I am.”

"My siblings and I were... very different as well."

Lyf makes a humming noise and looks at him to see if he plans on elaborating.

"They're uh. Dead now." This is not really clarification of anything, though it is admittedly a difference.

That startled a laugh out of Lyf even though they already knew that. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh.”

"That's okay. It wasn't  _ not _ meant to be funny. I mean it was very much like 'I'm not like other girls... I'm alive'." Marius is a little red.

Lyf laughs a bit more comfortably but still a bit awkward. “Nothing at all like the other girls.”

"I'm not like other girls. I'm a man." He grins

Lyf grins back at him. “Fuck yeah you are. I’m not like other girls, either. Or other boys. I’m an enigma.”

"Hell yeah." Marius holds up his hand for a fantasy high five. Lyf watches his elbow so they can give him a fucking crisp fantasy high five. Marius smoothly catches their hand on its way down so they're holding hands. Lyf blushes, deeply, deeply gay. They are so fucking gay about this. Marius smiles at them happily. Lyf smiles back and walks very close to him, resting their head on his shoulder while they walk. It’s a peaceful journey into town, and it passes by quickly.

Marius follows Lyf into a tailor's shop since that's what they initially came for, a little nervous now that he probably doesn't quite look the part of a baron. He looks around as Lyf talks to the tailor, noting that they pass her a small bribe, and listens attentively as they explain the fashions and processes to Marius while she takes his measurements and preferences. They get fitted in solidarity to get a few colorful shirts. Someone they like mentioned they’d look nice in color. Marius smiles at their selections. 

Lyf smiles back, admiring the way he looks in the one outfit that fit him well enough without tailoring: a green padded tunic and crisp brown slacks. “You look dashing, my Lord.”

"Thank you, good sir." Marius bows. Lyf laughs and bows as well. "Anything else we want?"

“Mm. From here or generally?”

"Generally."

“Could commission you some armor. Could also show you around.”

"Both are probably good ideas."

“You feeling peckish yet? I know a pretty good tavern if so. Or we could get the armor out of the way.”

"Let's do armor and then food. It hasn't been that long since we ate breakfast."

Lyf laughs. “I don’t know your appetite.” They pay the tailor and then offer Marius their hand.

Marius laughs too and accepts their hand. "Not all of my appetites are insatiable."

Lyf winks at him and starts to lead him out. “I shall endeavor to keep all your appetites sated regardless.”

Marius grins. "Appreciate it."

Lyf leads him toward the blacksmith, pausing on the way to buy a red carnation and tuck it into his blouse. “Here. Looks good on you.”

Marius blushes and kisses their cheek, too gay for verbal response. Lyf grins and leads him on to the blacksmith, where he gets fitted for shiny new armor. There are also some very pretty swords and knives, all of which Lyf gently makes eyes at. They don’t like fighting but they like pointy things. Marius observes this and files it away for when he has funds to buy them a gift. Lyf pays the blacksmith and refuses to let Marius make a big deal out of it. 

“Lyf, really, you don’t have to-”

“I just want you to be safe, Marius,” Lyf says firmly. Marius sighs, flustered, but he doesn't protest further because Lyf already shut him down about this before.

It takes a while to get everything situated with this and then Lyf squints in thought. “Could I see your sword, Marius?”

Marius pulls his sword out of the sheath and holds it out to them. It is probably not well-balanced for him and maybe a little dull. Lyf sighs heavily.

“Are you particularly attached to the style of this?”

"Not really. Do you have a suggestion?"

Lyf hums and gestures over to the swords. “You should pick one that suits you better. This one is poorly balanced anyway.”

Marius leans in conspiratorially. "I don't really know anything about swords, Lyf."

Lyf smiles at him fondly. “Just go for style. Some of them are really pretty. I’ll make sure the logistical parts of it are up to par.” They kiss his cheek since he’s leaning in anyway.

Marius browses for a minute before pointing out a longsword with a green hilt and sheath. 

“You have exquisite taste, my liege.” Lyf pays the blacksmith for the sword, and holds his hand as they leave the shop, tugging him off to the side of the building.

Marius follows their lead. He is willing to do pretty much anything for them right now, mostly because he has a crush on them and partly because he feels indebted no matter what they say. Lyf pushes him against the wall without much force and kisses him deeply. Marius kisses them back, surprised but 100% not complaining about this turn of events. They're hot.

Lyf just kisses him for a minute and then pulls away with a satisfied smile. “Sorry, I just hadn’t kissed you in a while and thought that was a shame.”

"Don't apologize. You were correct."

Lyf grins and kisses him again, shorter this time. “You’re an incredible kisser.”

"So are you. You're incredibly attractive."

Lyf tosses their hair back over their shoulder. “I refuse to get horny in a space where I can’t do anything about it but I’m going to fuck you about that sword later if you’re amenable.”

"One hundred percent."

Lyf grins. “Tavern?” They’re already pulling him that way.

"Absolutely." Marius follows them, trying not to look too much like a schoolboy following his crush around. Lyf is simply happy to be holding hands with him and showing him around. They point out a few stands and things to him, and a glassblower that they’ve successfully befriended into letting them blow glass sometimes. Marius looks at everything in fascination. He's never actually thought about having enough money to buy most of these things.

On their way out of town, they come across a tiny puppy for sale- the last one of the litter. He’s a mountain hound, with beautiful brown fur and a darker face and ears. Marius coos immediately upon seeing him, and scoops him up to cuddle and pet him.

Lyf watches him with the puppy and honestly they think he might be even cuter than the puppy is. A whispered question to the owner and an exchange of coin later and Lyf sits back, waiting for the right moment to reveal to the very distracted Marius what they have done.

Marius beams up at them as the puppy gently tries to eat his thumb but is still too small to properly do that. He is having a good time.

Lyf makes a slightly strangled noise from Cute. “Have you ever had a dog, Lord Marius?”

"It wasn't really my dog, but we had an old farm dog when I was a kid..."

Lyf smiles at him softly. “How would you feel about having a young castle dog?”

Marius blinks up at them. "A young-" he understands. "Lyf..."

Lyf beams at him. “Look at that fella! I don’t think he could stand to lose you. Can’t say I blame him.”

Marius is reluctant to accept their generosity, but then the puppy starts to fall asleep chewing his finger and like what is he supposed to do? Say no?

Lyf looks fucking stoked about the puppy. They kneel down to pet the sleeping angel. “I’ll help you take care of him.”

"Since you bought him, you can name him if you want..."

Lyf hums, scratching behind the puppy’s ear. “He has a big spirit. What do you think of Björn?”

"Björn... Perfect."

Lyf gives him a very gay affectionate look. Marius returns the gay look and tucks the sleeby boy into his shirt. Lyf’s gay look gets fucking painfully gay. He is. Too cute.

"Food now?" He asks with a smile.

Lyf is gay. “Okay.” They take his hand and lead him to the tavern.

Marius squeezes their hand happily and follows behind them. Lyf gets them situated in a corner of the tavern. This is partially for gay reasons but it’s actually largely for security reasons. No one can surprise them like this. “Care for anything to drink or is it too early for that?”

"Is it ever too early to drink?"

Lyf grins. “I knew I liked you.” They wink at him. “What’re we drinking?”

"Mead? I don't love ale, prefer sweeter things."

“That makes sense.” Lyf smooches his cheek. “I prefer mead, too.” They flag down a server and order them a bottle. They figure they’ll take the extra back with them. Marius pours them a glass with a smile. Lyf raises it before drinking like half of it down. They’ve had a stressful few days.

Marius takes a pretty large drink too. "So. Is there anything else I need to know about what I'm going to be summoned for?"

Lyf thinks for a moment. “...just. Don’t let them get to you. Try to keep your poise. Otherwise you’ll spend your time in court being treated like something lower.” They take a big old sip and don’t look at him.

"I'm plenty used to being treated like something lower."

“I mean. Mood. But I’d rather you be treated well if it’s possible.”

"I know, just. Don't worry about it too much if I fuck it up."

Lyf takes his hand and squeezes it. They’re going to worry no matter what. “I’ll be with you, okay? I’ve...been through this before.”

"Okay. Thank you."

“Of course.” Lyf finishes their glass and leans against him a bit, refilling their glass. “Hm. Food is. Important, yes?”

"Yes, definitely. Want to be able to get back to the castle."

Lyf is literally never in a rush to go back to that place, but they order the two of them some food. Marius leans against them happily, continuing to drink his mead. The food comes out before long and they both dig in happily, cuddling throughout their meal as Björn naps in Marius’s shirt. The puppy continues to nap the entire journey home, much to both of their endearment.

Marius sets the purchases they made carefully on a table since he doesn't yet have room for himself since this was their room first. He untucks the puppy from inside his shirt and sets him on the bed. Lyf is having strong feelings about the puppy but they put those feelings aside in order to start to organize their wardrobe in a way that gives Marius half the space. It isn’t difficult to do this. They don’t have too much stuff. They just tend to spread it out. Marius is having weird emotions about actually having some place to put his belongings.

They finish up pretty quickly and turn to Marius with a smile. “Alright, you can put your stuff away however you like. Blacksmith should send your armor directly here when it’s ready.”

"Right. Um." He starts moving his stuff into the closet carefully, like he's afraid it might explode if he doesn't put things in as delicately as possible.

Lyf kisses his cheek as he walks into smooching range and then gives him a bit of space. They can tell this is important to him. As they go over to bed to pet Björn, they say casually, “It’s nice to have someone to share this space with. It’s really always been too big for just me.”

"It's been... a long time since I've had somewhere to keep my stuff that isn't a rucksack," he says quietly.

Lyf gazes at him very tenderly from the bed. “You have a place with me.”

Ah. Marius turns his head back towards the closet to hide the tears that spring to his eyes at that. Lyf gently scoops Björn and carries him over to Marius, resting one hand on his lower back and holding Björn to sort of rest up just above their titties as they kiss his cheek.

Marius quickly wipes his tears away and gives them a watery smile. "Thanks."

“No, thank you. My quarters feel full now for once.” They blush a bit because he doesn’t. Need to hear about their crippling loneliness. They hold the pup up for consideration and cuddles.

Marius gives the puppy some nice scritches. "Well this is good for both of us then."

“I certainly think so.” They are very gay about him being cute with the puppy and they are not actively horny but they are Aware they promised to fuck him about the sword. They are currently pondering the duality of this man who can look so cute petting a puppy and so sexy pinning them down and- hm. Maybe they’re a little horny.

"Are we going to be regularly cockblocked by this lil guy, you think?" Marius is also thinking about the promise to get fucked about the sword.

“Probably but. I can set up a little bed for him. We don’t have to let our horny dreams stay dreams.”

Marius laughs. "Good. I'd like to make whatever dreams you were having on our journey here come true."

Lyf bites their lip and very smoothly (this is a lie) puts the pup on a little pillow on the ground where he conks the fuck out. Then they turn to Marius and kiss him deeply. Marius kisses then back, weaving his fingers through their hair. Lyf hums softly into his mouth, pressing really? Lyf makes a small noise of need, grinding their hips against his. They tangle their hands through his hair. Marius moans a little, walking backwards to drag them to the bed. Lyf goes incredibly willingly. They are very much into being manhandled, even though this isn’t really that. Marius flips their positions and pushes them onto the bed and climbs on top of them, still kissing them. Lyf whines needily into his mouth. Marius grinds his hips down against them and then sits up to undo his tunic and throw it off his shoulders.

Lyf grinds their hips up against his. “Fuck, Marius, you’re so hot.”

"F-fuck, so are you." He unbuttons their shirt as well and leans forward to bite their lip again, still gentle.

Lyf kisses him filthily to let him know how they feel about the biting.

Marius reciprocates just as filthily before pulling back again. "How are you feeling about being rough tonight?"

Lyf nods quickly. “Yes, please, want you to fuck me, use me, god you’re so hot.”

"Good." Marius nods and kneels up to remove his trousers and take down Lyf's as well. He presses a couple of kisses to their thighs, just a little teasingly.

Lyf keens faintly. “You really do have a lovely mouth...”

"I sure do." Marius grins and grabs their hips to lift them slightly off the bed so that he can kneel up, their legs braced on his shoulders and their shoulders still on the bed. He bites a little roughly at their inner thigh

Lyf lets out whimper at the feeling, clutching at the sheets.

"God, you're gorgeous." Marius bites their other thigh for symmetry and then dives into their cunt.

“Tha- ah!” Lyf bucks their hips into his face a bit, still sort of sore and sensitive from yesterday but so horny that his mouth feels incredible. Marius plunges his tongue into them, fucking them nicely and moaning at their taste. Lyf brings a hand to their own throat to stop their voice box a bit more directly than just covering their mouth. Fuck, it feels so good.

Marius leans over to move their hand gently but firmly. "Wanna hear you, Lyf. Want the whole castle to hear how much of a slut you are for me. How much better I am at pleasing you."

Lyf whines at his words and at him removing his mouth from them. “Fuck, please, Marius, so good at this, fuck, please don’t stop...” Marius grins and puts his mouth back on them obligingly, licking from their hole to their dick and swirling his tongue around them. Lyf moans, still sort of quiet, but definitely louder than he’s heard from them. “Marius-!”

He sucks their cock into their mouth with a hum, working them with his tongue as he sucks. He is incredibly skilled with his tongue, and their volume increases as he works them, moaning his name, his praises, his everything. Marius keeps licking and sucking and fucking them with his tongue, moaning wantonly into their cunt.

“ _ Ah _ ! Marius, please,  _ please _ I’m so close, please may I come I’ll be so good for you-“

Marius pulls back and thumbs at their dick with the same pace he was licking it. "Come for me, Lyf." He keeps his thumb moving there and puts his mouth back on their cunt. Lyf comes with a cry of his name, an honor the other courtiers have not yet been graced with.

Marius licks them through it, then pulls back to let their hips fall back onto the bed. He takes them in hungrily, the bottom half of his face still coated in their slick.

Lyf shifts their hips a bit, panting, looking up at him with hazy eyes. “Th-thank you, Marius, fuck, how can I be good for you?”

"I think I want to take my pleasure from your face until you can't stand it any longer"

Lyf goes scarlet. “Please, please fuck take whatever you want from me, Marius, I’m yours.” They do not say this quietly.

Marius grins, happy to hear their voice so loud and clear. Almost a shame to muffle it with his cunt. Almost. He crawls up to kneel above their face. They can probably tell how much he enjoyed eating them out by just how soaked he is, poised above them. "Tap out when you've had enough."

“Yes, sir, please, make yourself comfortable.” They are looking directly at his cunt, taking a deep breath.

"Don't mind if I do." Marius settles himself on top of their face with no further preamble, grinding against them with a moan. Lyf licks into him eagerly, moaning into his cunt as they fuck him on their tongue for a moment, tasting him, before turning their attention to his dick and lavishing it mercilessly with their tongue, sucking hard, well aware that he must be keyed up after eating them out. Marius keens loudly weaving his fingers into their hair and continuing to grind against them with a desperate gasp. Lyf works him relentlessly, eager to see how many times they can bring him off on their tongue before they need air. They hum continually. They’re incredibly good at giving head- best in the court, before Marius arrived. They would have no way of knowing which of them is better, but they suspect it may be him.

It doesn't take long for Marius to come with a loud cry. "Fuck!  _ Lyf! _ "

Lyf doesn’t let up. They still have air. Marius keeps riding their face hard, panting desperately. Lyf moans into him a bit, bringing their hands up to rest on his hips, not demanding anything or tapping out, just holding him.

" _ Fuck _ your mouth is gorgeous!" Marius moans. " _ Fuck! _ "

Lyf hums around him, lavishing his dick with attention. Marius whines and writhes on their face until he comes again with a loud cry, echoing distantly through the castle. Lyf eats him out for a bit longer, their tongue getting a bit sloppy as they start to pass out. They get enough of a braincell to tap his hip weakly. Marius flops over off of them immediately. Lyf is panting and desperately aroused, feeling floaty as fuck.

"God, you're good at that," Marius pants.

Lyf moans softly from the praise, lacking the braincell for much else.

"You want another?" Marius leans over to kiss their neck. Lyf nods with a soft hum, leaning into his touch.

Marius sits up slightly and pulls them close, slowly caressing down their body before gently sliding two fingers into their cunt. His other hand moves to rest on one of their titties and he presses a kiss to their hair. "You're so good for me, Lyf, that was amazing."

Lyf makes a soft, vulnerable noise, turning their head to look at him with big eyes. “M’good?”

"Better than good, Lyf." Marius kisses them deeply as he searches for their sweet spot. Lyf kisses him openly, cupping his cheek with one hand and wrapping the other around him to hold him so close. Marius rubs his thumb over their clit as he keeps fucking them gently on his fingers, carefully deepening the kiss. Lyf whimpers into his mouth when he finds their sweet spot, clinging to him like a lifeline. Marius keeps stroking that spot, speeding his pace with his thumb and pulling back to lean his forehead against theirs. "You're so good, Lyf, you're the best."

Lyf tears up a bit at the praise, keening under the attention of his fingers. “G-Good for you, Marius , wanna be good...”

"You are, you're amazing." He kisses their jaw affectionately as he keeps fingering them, scissoring his fingers inside them.

“Tha- ah, thank you, thank you...” Tears are gently streaming down Lyf’s face, but they aren’t upset. Marius has them.

Marius kisses their tear stained cheeks. "You're so beautiful... so good." He keeps going, a little faster. Lyf moves their hips up to meet his fingers, making soft sounds of pleasure. "Just like that Lyf, enjoy it." He gently nips at their neck.

Lyf wants to be good for him so they do what he says, chasing the pleasure he’s giving them and generally making very cute noises as they get worked up closer to the edge. “P-please, a little more?”

Marius nods and speeds up, goes a little harder, and Lyf moans in satisfaction, and before long at all they’re clenching around his fingers with a whisper of his name.

"There you go, lovely... so good for me."

Lyf keens at the praise, riding out the aftershocks a bit longer before gently pushing his hand away.

Marius pulls his fingers out and licks them clean. "God, you taste good.” 

Lyf wraps their arms around him loosely, humming a bit. Marius holds them close and kisses their head. Lyf gradually comes back to themself, and with their inhibitions return their anxieties. They stiffen a bit.

Marius looks down at them with concern. "Are you okay?"

Lyf is red. “Why wouldn’t I be?” They try to dodge the question.

"You seem tense...."

Lyf is quiet for a moment, then mumbles, “Haven’t really...done. Anything like that. Before.”

"Oh... was it okay?"

“It was good, I- I’m just. Sorry I was so needy. I’m not normally like that, I promise.” They are Not Looking At Him, still very tense. They’re bright red.

"No need to apologize. I like it when people get needy. Shows I'm giving them a good time."

Lyf relaxes a bit, but not much. They’re intensely aware of how dangerous it is to be vulnerable like they just were, and although it went well, that was no means the guaranteed outcome. “It was very good.” They beat down the part of themself that still craves more reassurance. It’s lucky they got as much as they did.

"It was good for me too. I enjoyed it."

Lyf hums and snuggles him a bit closer, still tense. Marius presses another kiss to their hair. Lyf turns their face up, hoping to get kissed. Marius kisses them obligingly and happily, and Lyf relaxes a bit into the kiss. Marius cards a hand through their hair, pulling them close and rubbing their back lovingly. Lyf deepens the kiss, comforted by the affection. Marius holds them tight and kisses them until he starts conking out. Lyf gently rolls away from him once he starts falling asleep and tries not to be sad about it. Marius makes a small unhappy noise and shifts a little closer to them Lyf looks at him in vague surprise and reaches out to brush his cheek with their fingertips. He leans into the touch. Lyf tentatively wraps around him again, not laying on him, and Marius makes a contented noise and snuggles in. Lyf is happy to be snuggled and they quickly fall asleep. Marius rests soundly, content and safe in Lyf’s arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> can't believe this chapter is as long as some fics and it's exclusively porn, puns, and dog content

Lyf rouses first, for once, which means that for once they don’t wake up to an already empty bed. Their immediate reaction is to go stiff, but as they realize who’s in their arms, they relax again. They’re safe, it’s Marius. He makes a soft noise and snuggles into their chest, and they run a hand through his hair gently. He looks so peaceful, resting in their arms. It helps their suddenly-racing heart to settle a bit. When he stirs, he startles a bit as well, but he relaxes as he seems to come to the same conclusion about them.

Lyf kisses his forehead. “Mornin’.”

"Mornin'..." Marius smiles softly. Lyf has to kiss him properly for that, pressing their lips to his with tenderness. He opens his mouth to them, making a soft noise that prompts Lyf to roll over onto him for a better cuddle and makeout position. Marius runs his hands down their back, sighing softly into their mouth, and Lyf presses themself into him, exploring his mouth with their tongue. He gently tugs on their hair, making them moan into his mouth. As he runs his hands down their back to grab their ass, they run a hand down his torso and play with his hair, nipping gently at his lower lip. Marius makes a soft noise of pleasure. Lyf shifts a leg between his, testing, and sure enough, Marius grinds against them a little with another long moan.

Lyf smiles against his lips and then kisses along his jaw. When they reach his ear, they murmur, “How may I please you this morning?”

"F-fuck... fingers?"

Lyf kisses his neck and slips their fingers between his folds, teasing his dick.

Marius moans softly. "F-fuck..."

“Mhm...” Lyf kisses his neck very tenderly, teasing the tangles out of his curls as they trace gentle circles around his dick. Marius sighs and thrusts his hips shallowly against their fingers. “You’re so beautiful, Marius...”

"S-so are you...."

“Love having you in my bed, darling.” They bite a gentle mark by his Adam’s apple. Their voice is still heavy with sleep.

Marius moans and whispers another expletive. Lyf smiles against his skin and rubs his dick a bit more firmly. Marius bucks his hips against them more, panting softly. Lyf shifts to get a better angle as they slip a finger into him to see how wet he is-  _ very. _

"Fucking h-hell... your f-fingers." Marius whines quietly into their neck, the noise like music to Lyf’s ears.

“I like to think I’m a great deal more pleasant than hell,” Lyf murmurs, slipping a second finger into him and thumbing at his dick.

Marius huffs against their skin and presses a sloppy kiss to their neck. "H-hah... you are. F-feels amazing..."

Lyf kisses him deeply as they feel for his sweet spot. “I love your voice, so lovely...”

Marius gasps in pleasure, and they hone in there. "Ah... Th-thank you..."

Lyf rubs his dick firmly and murmurs sweet praise as they stroke his spot. Marius moans loudly, moving his hips into the feeling. They chuckle affectionately. “You’re such a good boy, Marius, aren’t you? Sound so good coming apart like this...”

He lets out a low keen. "Fuck, c-close, hah..."

Lyf uses just a bit more pressure on his dick. “Come for me, lovely.”

Marius tightens his grip on them, moaning and clenching around their fingers with a low moan.

Lyf smiles softly, planting tender kisses up his neck. “Gorgeous...” They ease off a bit but don’t stop.

Marius gently grabs their wrist. "I-if you keep going I'm j-just going to pass back out."

Lyf laughs gently and pulls their fingers out, bringing them to their lips and sucking them clean with a hum of satisfaction before wrapping their arms around him and snuggling in happily.

"Do you want one?" Marius kisses their hair again.

Lyf makes a happy hum and shakes their head. “M’good. It’s so nice waking up to someone nice.”

"Alright." Marius holds them close, his strong arms wrapping around them. Technically, they know they’re stronger, but that doesn’t change the fact that they feel safer being held by Marius than they do alone. After a bit, they notice Björn stirring on his pillow, and roll off of Marius to go scoop him up against their bare chest. They bring him over to Marius so both of them can get kisses. 

“I can take him out if you want to stay in bed a while longer,” Lyf says as he pets their baby.

Marius shakes his head, stands up, and stretches. "S'okay, I should get up. Try on some of those nice new clothes."

“You do look remarkably dashing in them.” They’re gay. They smooch Björn on his little head and then set him down on the bed, tail wagging.

Marius gives him a few more pets and stands up to go to the closet, and the two of them get dressed together; Lyf puts on a fucking bra for once as well as a fitted purple tunic that hangs off of their shoulders, just going simple black on the trousers, while Marius puts on one of those shirts with the puffy sleeves (green) and a black vest trimmed with gold. His trousers are also simple black, tucked into a pair of boots that come up to his mid-shins.

Lyf just openly yearns after him. He is really gorgeous. They shake themself out of it after a minute but they are feeling some sorta way about how hot he is, and it’s not helped by his gentle smile at them while he pulls on his boots. They pull on their boots as well and then scoop the pup once more. Marius stands up straight (ha) and offers them his arm with a grin. Lyf takes it, then, after a moment of deliberation, tucks Björn between their titties to pick up their sword. Obviously they can’t stop holding his arm. They press a kiss to his cheek, sword acquired. “Ready to take this fella out?”

Marius smooches them back happily and secures his own sword around his waist. "Ready."

Lyf leads him out towards the gardens, forgetting to be self conscious about the dog’s location until they see someone give them a weird look and they sheepishly hold him in their free hand again. Marius walks beside them happily and reaches over to pet Björn a couple times. When they get to the gardens Lyf sets Björn down and he goes potty like a very good boy. 

Lyf coos at him. “Who’s a good boy?!” Björn borks happily. A few other courtiers give them a weird look and Lyf Does Notice but they ignore it. They beam up at Marius from cooing at Björn, and he beams back. He kisses them happily and then kneels to give Björn more pets. 

"What an excellent boy, good job baby!"

Ah. So Lyf is very gay about Marius being cute with a dog. Noted. He finds a puppy-sized stick for Björn to play with and plays some tug of war with him, and Lyf gently screams internally about the image. “Aw, he’s a feisty one. Got a spirit like his dad.”

Marius blinks. "How do you know what his dad is like?" 

Lyf smiles at him. “I’ve spent a bit of time with him. Very charming. Very spirited.”

"Do you like... know the dog guy?"

Lyf chuckles fondly. “I’m talking about you.”

Marius blinks and then blushes a little. "Oh."

Lyf kisses his cheek. “You have a cute blush.”

"Th-thank you." Marius looks down at their dog, flustered.

Lyf is simply gay. They go to scritch Björn but it is Play Time and so they get their fingers nipped. It’s not very effective. Lyf rolls him over easily with a hand and scratches his tummy while he tries to bite them. “Probably shouldn’t let him get in the habit of biting, but...”

"He's just so cute trying to attack."

“He really is...he’s a hunter, isn’t he? He’s gonna grow up so strong.”

"He will." Marius agrees. "I love him."

“I love him, too. He’s beautiful.” They are so crazy about this pup.

"He is. We made a good choice."

“We sure did.” They watch Marius, happy with his dog, and decide that whatever happens, sparing him was a good choice, too.

The puppy eventually gets tired again because growing is hard work and Marius picks him up and gently tucks him into the front of his vest.

Lyf is gay about that. “Food time for us and the growing lad?”

"Absolutely."

Lyf takes his arm and leads him towards the kitchens to steal food from the source. They are friends with the staff if not the court. Marius smiles at the kitchen staff and thanks them sincerely for the food. Lyf has feelings for him. The feelings are friendship, but they’ve never experienced it. They grab more food than is strictly advisable and struggle to balance it before blushing and accepting a small basket from a bemused staff member. Marius smiles fondly at them and gently holds out the sleeping puppy for some of the staff to coo over before they head back up. Lyf opens the door for him when they reach the room despite having their hands full. Chivalry ain’t dead! Marius smiles his thanks and sets Björn back down on his nap pillow to snooze. Lyf has feelings about Björn. He is so cute. They open the basket and get out some foods for their Marius. He accepts the food and lays some stuff aside for their puppy. Lyf sits on the bed with some bread and cheese, munchin’, and is pleased when Marius leans against them and munches on some bread of his own, as well as some nuts. They wrap an arm around him, not bothering to be subtle. He smiles and offers his handful of nuts towards them with an interrogative hum.

Lyf elects to quote a saying that people keep pinning to vines around the castle. “I’m nuts about these nuts.” They eat one. “But I’m also nuts about my close good friends.” They gesture to Marius and Björn.

Marius laughs. "Nuts indeed." He takes another bite of bread.

Lyf grins. “Joke doesn’t have you rolling? I suppose I’d breader rye harder next time.”

Marius throws a nut at them, but he is cracking up.

“Come on, make a joke, it’s the yeast you could do. You know I’m just trying to get a  _ rise _ out of you.”

"You are so cheesy." Marius snorts and steals some of the cheese they were eating.

Lyf is- they like him. He’s very- they like him a lot. They feign offense. “A thief? In my bedchambers?”

"It's more likely than you think." He winks at them and pops the cheese in his mouth.

Lyf is slightly smitten. They blurt, “God, I like you so much.”

Marius blushes a little. "I like you too."

Lyf is also blushing now. They’re very gay. They take a bite of cheese.

Marius continues to eat. He is simply. Gay

There’s a knock at the door and Lyf squeezes Marius’s hand before going to answer it. 

“Summons for Baron von Raum?”

Lyf glances back at Marius.

Marius stands up. "That's me. I would like Sir Lyf to accompany me, if you please."

The servant nods, and leads them to an ornate office.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: brief mention of pregnancy scare/implied unsafe sex.
> 
> these nerds fuck SO much I cannot stand them

The next few hours pass in a blur of posturing and intimidation attempts. Marius doesn’t catch most of it, but when he’s confused Lyf speaks up, subtly clarifying and occasionally murmuring advice into his ear. At one point one of Odin’s underlings implies that they shouldn’t be speaking out of turn, so Marius implies they should fall on their sword ass-first. Lots of subtle political drama. He discretely asks Lyf, near the end of everything, how much of his new property he should offer as a gift of good faith, and as per their advice, gives Queen Odin a small section of the estate that’s generous, but not too deferential. He can’t get out of the room fast enough, though, and as numbers that seem far too large to possibly refer to his estate and his wealth swim through his head, Lyf leads him out and back to their room, holding his arm tightly. 

Marius flops onto the bed with a long sigh. "Fuck. That was. Stressful."

Lyf flops beside him with a sigh to rival his. “Fuck, it was. You did great, though.”

"Thanks. I've never faked anything harder in my life."

Lyf huffs a laugh and politely doesn’t make an obvious joke. “I was impressed.”

"Glad you were." He grins, a bit tired. Their smile cracks just enough to betray a glimmer of anxiety, and Lyf rolls over to hold him. Marius holds them tight. He's still got a lot of nervous energy but it's calming down a bit. Having Lyf in his arms certainly helps. Even better is when the puppy wakes up and tries to hop onto the bed to cuddle with them; he’s just too small to make it. Lyf laughs and scoops him up to cuddle. Björn yips a little and crawls up Marius's chest to lick his face. Lyf just smiles and curls up next to him, resting a hand on his abdomen and resting their face in his shoulder. Marius laughs too and scoops the puppy and puts him on their head.

“Ah, I see I am become furniture.”

Bjön begins to lick their hair. "I think he might like you."

Lyf giggles. “It’s pronounced ‘lick.’”

Marius laughs. "I might lick you too."

Lyf laughs properly. “Once again puppy cucked.”

"Indeed. He'll probably pass out soon anyways. Growing is hard work."

“That has been my experience, too.” Lyf pets the puppy, who has moved onto eating their hair. Another absolutely terrible habit.

"Oh, hey, don't do that buddy." Marius scoops him and sets him back on his chest.

Lyf rests their head back on his shoulder. “What a good dad.”

Marius laughs. "Thought I'd burned that bridge when I donated certain bits to the gender witch. Guess this one is simply a little miracle"

Lyf laughs harder. “God, I need to find the gender witch. My tits are fine but it sure would slap not to have a panic attack and flip through what court assholes I’ve fucked every time my period’s a tiny bit late.” They mostly sound tired when they say this. 

Marius grimaces. "Ah, yeah, don't miss that feeling." He has had that experience before. "Although I didn't know most of the people I fucked so really it was just the panic attack. I'll have to see if I can get in contact with her, since I guess I have money now..."

Lyf kisses his cheek. “That would be nice. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you find her.” They pause. “I’m really glad you can move on and. Have that debt paid. You deserve a fresh start, I think.” They weave their fingers through his.

Marius smiles. "Whether I deserved it or not, I will definitely take it. I'm not one to squander opportunities."

Lyf hums happily and is quiet for a moment, Björn starting to wear himself out pawing at Marius’s chest. “...Thank you. For not leaving me, that first night I fell asleep.”

"I'm glad I didn't."

Lyf kisses his neck softly. “I am, too.”

Marius smiles. "Thank you for helping me think this up. You could have just handed me over. Would have been easier."

“Wouldn’t have been right,” they mumble. “I feel like I’m lying through my teeth all my life, just. I don’t belong here. It would have been unfair for me to bring you here to die when you just. Wanted the same thing I do.”

Marius hesitates. "What  _ do _ you want?"

“To feel safe.” They open their mouth to say more, then shut it. Marius nods, and elects not to press.

"You deserve that."

Lyf hums and nuzzles into him further. The pup is now napping. “You do, too, Marius.”

Marius watches their profile, weary but lovely, with a quiet strength in the set of their jaw. "I'm glad we met."

“I am, too. You’re...” They struggle for the words for a moment. “...things are already better, with you here.”

"I'm glad I can help, then."

Lyf blurts, suddenly, “Is it better for you, here?”

"Yes." There is zero hesitation. Having a place to rest his head and put his stuff is worth dealing with all this court bullshit.

Lyf wasn’t noticeably tense to Marius, but he feels them relax. “I’m glad. If...if that changes, I can. Try to help you get out.”

"Thanks. I'm good for right now though."

Lyf hums. “...Björn could probably use set down, huh.”

"Probably." Marius gently scoops the pup and puts him on the pillow that doubles as his bed. Lyf continues to lay on the bed, feeling soft and looking very pretty. Marius is. Gay. He leans down to smooch, and Lyf leans up to meet his kiss. They are also gay. He wraps his arms around them to pull them closer and kiss them deeper. Lyf wraps their arms around his neck, spreading their legs a little. Marius runs his hands down their back and then up the back of their shirt. Lyf makes a soft noise and traces their tongue teasingly along the roof of his mouth. Marius makes a similar noise in response. Lyf runs their hands up his torso, under his shirt, stopping to tease his nipples. Marius moans softly and gently scratches down their back. Lyf gasps against his lips.

Marius pulls back and nips at their jaw. "A-are you more in the mood now?"

Lyf nods quickly. “Yes, god, you’re so gorgeous...”

Marius smiles and begins to kiss down their jaw and throat to their collarbone, reaching to unbutton their tunic from the bottom up. Lyf simply goes for the buttons on his vest, too distracted by the kisses to process his eccentricity. They keen under his touch. He slides the shirt off their shoulders and reaches behind them to undo their fantasy bra. Lyf bites their lip, finishing his vest and beginning to undo his tunic. Marius leans down to trail more open-mouthed kisses across their shoulder bone and down their chest. Lyf keens softly, hips rising up a bit. Marius sits up to better unlace their trousers.

“How do you want me?” Lyf murmurs breathily.

"Fuck... can I borrow one of your straps?"

Lyf nods. “You’re always welcome to anything I have, Marius.”

Marius grabs their almond oil and has a moment of decision paralysis. "Do you have a preference of which strap?"

“Same as last time, please.”

Marius nods and undoes his trousers, letting them fall to the floor before attaching the strap to the belt. 

Lyf just openly thirsts after him. “I think you’re the most gorgeous person in this castle.”

Marius blushes, but grins and strikes a pose for them to admire, stroking the strap. Lyf brings a hand between their legs, circling their clit at the sight. 

Marius spreads some oil over the strap as he approaches the bed again. "Fuck, you're beautiful..."

Lyf reclines back into an appealing position. “So’re you...” They spread their legs so he can see how they’re teasing themself, and so he can access their cunt.

Marius moans. "C-can you prep yourself for me? Y-you're so sexy...."

Lyf nods, slipping two fingers down into their cunt with a low moan. “F-fuck, Marius...”

Marius reaches below the strap to tease his cock as he watches.

Lyf scissors their fingers inside of themself gently, rocking their hips up into their hand as they work themself open, slipping a third finger in. Their eyes are locked on Marius’s hand on his dick the whole time. Marius moans softly, wrapping his free hand around the strap to stroke as he continues to tease himself. 

Lyf whines a bit as they pick up the pace, stretching themself open for him as quick as they can because- “Fuck you’re so hot, Marius, want you to fuck me so badly...”

"F-fuck..." Marius moans, "G-gonna fuck you s-so well..."

Lyf pulls their fingers out and sucks them clean with an obscene noise, looking him directly in the eyes. “I’m ready for you.”

Marius nods and climbs over them, still gripping the strap so he can line himself up, and Lyf looks up at him with wide eyes, very much playing into the picture of innocence that tends to go well for them when they’re hoping to be fucked.

"G-god you're so gorgeous..." he slides into them slowly, resting his hands on their knees to push them even further apart. Lyf moans softly at the feeling, spreading their legs wide for him. They wrap their arms around his back.

Marius starts to move his hips shallowly and leans forward to kiss them. Lyf kisses back eagerly, moving their hips against his as they adjust to the feeling. He savors the kiss as they adjust.

After a moment, Lyf pulls back enough to murmur, “You can move.”

Marius nods and kisses them again with passion, pulling out further and starting to fuck them properly. Lyf keens into his mouth on the first thrust, then kisses him more fervently, pulling him close. Marius is gentle as he thrusts into them at a steady pace, biting his lip as the soft bristles of the belt rub against his dick. Lyf adjusts their hips slightly, appreciating his gentleness as they position themself so he’s hitting their sweet spot. They make a soft noise of need in the back of their throat at the feeling. Marius focuses in on that spot, making sure to keep his hips angled to hit it with every thrust. He brings his hand down between them to rub at their dick. 

Lyf’s breath hitches. “A-ah, Marius...”

"God, Lyf, you're s-so hot..."

“S-so’re you, fuck you’re good at this...”

Marius trails more gentle marks across their collarbone, keeping his rhythm and rubbing their dick in time. 

Lyf makes a series of objectively cute sounds of pleasure as he works them up, kissing his neck softly. “My d-dick, harder p-please?”

Marius nods and presses his hand more firmly to their cock, speeding the pace of the circles he's rubbing there.

“Ah! Th-thank you, fuck....”

"My pleasure, darlin'." Marius speeds the thrust of his hips a little more, still working at being gentle. 

Lyf whines in pleasure, panting shakily and meeting this thrusts with their hips. It feels so good, and it doesn’t take long for them to murmur, “M’close, please, may I?”

"Please do." Marius keeps going, leaning down to kiss them as he does. Lyf moans into his mouth as they come, clenching around his strap and hips stuttering. He pulls back as he fucks them through it to admire how beautiful they look. "F-fuck you're so gorgeous."

Lyf makes a soft, needy noise, their head falling back and their expression blissed-out and gentle.

"Want me to keep going?"

Lyf considers before nodding. “P-please, so good to me...”

Marius smiles and keeps his hips moving, resuming the firm circles on their dick

Lyf moans louder as he keeps going, cursing under their breath.

Marius bites their shoulder, not hard enough to break skin as he continues his ministrations. 

“Ah, fuck...” Their tone is decidedly one of pleasure. “Fuck, Marius, please, do that again...”

He moves his mouth a little and bite their shoulder again.

“H-helvete, fuck...j-just a little harder, please?” They tug on his hips so he’ll know what they mean. Marius nods and goes harder, trying to find a good balance because he's still a bit sore from last night so he can imagine how sore they are.

“Yes, like that, fuck just like that, please, p-perfect, you’re perfect...”

Marius keeps snapping his hips forward into them with another bite to their shoulder. It takes a bit longer, but Lyf is very into Marius so it doesn’t take too long before they’re nearing the edge again. “C-close, please, j-just a little m-more..”

Marius speeds his attention to their dick. "Yes, Lyf, fuck, want you to come for me, please come."

Lyf is beginning to realize they can’t deny him anything, and their pleasure tears through them quickly. “Marius!”

Marius lets up a little, tenderly kissing their neck. Lyf pants, catching their breath and going limp under him.

"You done?" Marius does not ask this impatiently, he just wants to make sure

Lyf nods, already trying to cuddle into him a bit. Marius pulls out and sets the strap aside to cuddle up to them happily. Lyf clings to him, rubbing their face into his chest. They murmur, voice a bit wrecked, “Wh-what can I do for you?”

Marius shrugs. "I'm okay. I'm sure your fingers are tired from this morning."

Lyf shakes their head. “M’happy to help, I get a lot of use out of these fingers.” They trace a little swirl on his chest as if to demonstrate. They will back off if he actually doesn’t feel like getting off, but if he does, they want to help him.

"Mm, well I do like your fingers... "

Lyf kisses him softly. “Lay beside me? I want to make you feel good.”

Marius nods and lays down with a smile. Lyf kisses him sensually, trailing their fingers down his body while pressed close to him. Marius moans softly into their mouth Lyf strokes the area where his folds come together gently, teasingly, not sipping inside yet. 

"Hah... f-fuck..." Marius is already soaked from watching them come apart, hearing the noises they make.

Lyf smiles softly. “You have such a lovely voice.” They part his folds so they can tease his dick with a feather light touch.

Marius clutches at the bedsheets. "G-god you're good at this"

“Practice,” Lyf says, kissing his neck and continuing to tease him.

"F-fuck..." Marius moans.

Lyf nips at his neck and gives his dick a touch more pressure. “God, you’re so wet...”

"F-for you... s-so wet for you..."

Lyf moans softly, slipping a finger into him. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you, Marius?”

Marius moans again, nodding. "S-such a good boy, f-for you..."

Lyfslips in a second finger since he’s so wet, grinding their palm against his dick. “So good for me, Marius, better for me than anyone else, such a good boy...”

Marius is enjoying the praise, since he doesn't get it much. Soft noises of pleasure fall from his lips as he grinds back against them. Lyf kisses his neck, alternating between tender and biting as they hone in on where they remember his sweet spot being. They generally have a decent memory for these things.

"Fuck!" Marius cries out as they hit that spot. "Ch-christ you're G-good at this..."

Lyf hums happily at the praise and strokes that spot firmly inside of him, not fucking him on their fingers since they know he's sore, and grinding their palm against him hard.

Marius moans wantonly, moving his hips against their hand, desperately.

"So good for me, Marius, you're such a good boy, so lovely, you're absolutely gorgeous like this, moaning at my touch, coming apart in my bed, you're irresistible, so absolutely divine, I can't help but want to ravish you, you make the prettiest sounds..."

Marius whines because fuck this is so nice. "F-fuck, th-thank you, feels a-amazing, p-please, m-more..."

Lyf works a third finger into him and strokes a bit more firmly. "Anything you want, Marius."

He keens and shifts his hips against them harder. "Fuck, fuck, feels s-so good, I'm c-close."

"Come for me, gorgeous."

Marius clenches around their fingers with a long moan.

"That's a good boy." Lyf continues to work him through it. "Another?"

Marius shakes his head. "I-I'm good."

Lyf pulls their fingers out and sucks them clean before kissing him again. "You're so lovely, Marius, so good."

"Th-thank you... th-that was great..."

"So were you, you made me feel so good..."

Marius kisses them softly

Lyf kisses back, just as soft, and loses track of time a bit until there's a knock at the door and they sit up, cursing softly.

Marius pulls the covers up over them and scrambles to pull on his trousers and shirt, not bothering to button it in favor of running his fingers through his hair, trying to make it look neat-ish as he opens the door. "Yes?"

A servant holds out a bound scroll, sealed with a wax insignia that Marius recognizes as the Queen's seal. "For you, my Lord."

"Ah. Thank you." Marius gives them a friendly smile and accepts the scroll. "Um, hang on, Lyf, can I borrow a coin?"

"Of course." Lyf points at their coin purse on the desk. The servant glances to the source of the voice and blushes a bit, inspecting the doorframe as if it's of great interest to them.

Marius grabs a coin and hands it to the servant with a smile. The servant reciprocates the smile and leaves with a small bow and a thank-you. Lyf watches Marius from the bed.

Marius closes the door and examines the scroll in confusion. He never learned how to read, and at this point he doesn’t know how to bring that little issue up.

"What is it?"

Marius hands it over for them to examine without comment. Maybe he can get away with pretending he knows.

Lyf looks over it. "Oh, the deeds. That was quick." They aren't looking at him.

"Right, the deeds." Marius nods. He knew that. Absolutely.

Lyf glances up at him and hands it back. "Here, I'm sure you want to examine the terms more closely. Let me know if you have any questions?"

Ah fuck. He takes the scroll and stares at it for a second, resolving to simply pretend. He has no idea what this says. Lyf notices that his eyes aren't moving in the way one would expect of someone who's reading. And they realize, suddenly. "Oh. Do you need help reading that?"

Marius goes bright red. "N-no."

"It's okay if you do." Their voice is gentle. "I didn't learn how to read until I was, like, twelve, when I joined the court. I shouldn't have assumed."

Marius sighs and hands the scroll back. Lyf takes it and reads it to him, not having him follow along because. He does not know the letters yet. They wrap an arm around him though. Marius examines the back of his hand, resolved to know it well enough for that expression to make sense. Better than focusing on his mortification. 

Lyf pauses. "..You know, there's really nothing to be embarrassed about. The way this whole system is set up- it benefits from the poor remaining illiterate. It isn't your fault. It doesn't say anything about your intelligence. I'd be happy to teach you how to read if you want."

Marius blushes. "Right. Um. Thank you."

"Of course." They kiss his cheek softly and then go back to reading to him.

Marius does his best to pay attention but a lot of this is kind of over his head with the political stuff. After Lyf has read through it as is, they actually explain it. It took them a long time to understand all of it themself. Marius appreciates the help. He leans against them happily. 

Lyf sets the scroll on their lap when they’re done. "Do you have any questions?"

"...That's all mine?"

"Yeah." They look at him, expression like  _ yeah I know it's a lot _ .

"Christ." He doesn't even know what to say to that.

Lyf huffs. "Yeah."

"How much of this can I feasibly donate without being seen as weak?"

Lyf gives him a fond look. "A fair amount. I can help you do it furtively."

"Thanks."

"Of course." They kiss him softly. He is a very nice change of pace.

Marius kisses them back.

They pull away after a bit. "Did you, um. Want me to try teaching you a bit about reading now?"

He blushes again. "Right. Um. Probably, yes.”

Lyf smiles at him and squeezes his hand before standing up, still fully nude, and crossing over to the desk, where they bend over to get some parchment from the bottom drawer before setting it on the desk along with some ink and a quill. They gesture for him to join them. Marius watches them, a little lustfully because god they're sexy. Then he stands up himself and installs himself at the desk. Lyf carefully writes out the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase, and tells him what sounds each letter makes as they go through it. They're watching carefully to see how he's processing. He is squinting at the letters, the furrow between his brows deepening as he tries to understand the blurry shapes.

"...Is something wrong?" They ask this very gently.

"They're just hard to see."

Lyf frowns. They were writing plenty big. They draw a little smiley face, clearly legible. "Can you tell me what I just drew?"

He squints harder. "It just looks like a smudge."

"Huh. I think you might need glasses."

He blinks. "What? No, I'm fine."

"This is very legibly a smiley face, Marius. It's fine, I can help get you some. Probably only affects your near sight."

He frowns. "I've never had a problem before..."

"Vision can change as you grow older, but also, like. Have you ever tried to read before?"

"...No."

Lyf kisses his cheek. "You probably wouldn't have noticed, then. I think you'll look cute with glasses."

He blushes a little. "Thanks..."

They smile and put the parchment away. "We should probably wait on this for now, then. We can get you some glasses tomorrow. Do you- um. Dinner? Walk?"

"Yeah, we should feed our little buddy again too." Marius smiles at Björn, still chillin on his pillow

"Of course. He could use a little exercise, too."

"Definitely. You're such a good parent."

Lyf blushes very hard, smiling shyly. Marius grins at them and buttons his shirt back up before scooping up the puppy. Lyf puts some damn clothes on. Somehow they are still sexy when doing the opposite of stripping. Marius is gay. Lyf straps their sword on and then takes his hand with a soft smile. 

Marius grabs his own sword because this is simply becoming a habit. "We should get him a rope and harness when he's a little bigger so he doesn't run off"

"Smart idea. He'll get big before too long, won't you baby?" They scritch Björn's chin and he yips happily.

Marius smiles at the overwhelming cuteness. "I think he already weighs more than he did yesterday."

Lyf gently tries to scoop him from Marius and pretends to be staggered by his weight while still practicing safe pup holding. "Whoa, I think you're right!" They hand him back. "What a big boy. He just needed a little love."

Marius laughs at their antics. "Well now he's got a lot of it."

Lyf smiles at him. "He has very loving parents."

"He does." Marius grins.

Lyf looks away from him. "Um. Walk first or food?"

"Mmm, walk. He probably has to potty again"

"Yeah. Impressive that he hasn't had an accident or anything, honestly. He's such a little guy."

"He's a good little guy "

"He is." Lyf is fond at the puppy, then leads the two of them out for a walk. The sun is setting outside, turning the turrets of Asgard a pleasant gold. Lyf has a thought and pulls the ribbon around their waist out of their tunic and makes a leetol harness/leash combo for the baby. Marius is delighted by this and sets him on the ground to let him explore a little. Lyf lets him hold the leash since they got Björn for him. They are. Gay about the way the sun is making his smile light up.

Marius is gay about the way their eyes reflect the sunset and blushes a little every time he looks at them.

Lyf let go of his hand to make the harness, so they take it again nonchalantly. They gesture to the sunset. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, gorgeous." He is not actually looking at the sunset, the homosexual. Lyf glances over at him and then blushes. He blushes too and now actually looks up at the sunset, bashful about being caught sharing.

Lyf hesitates before kissing his cheek softly. "Stunning."

He blushes harder and leans over to kiss their cheek as well. Lyf turns their face to catch his kiss on the mouth, deepening it softly. Marius kisses them happily, tangling a hand in their hair. Lyf smiles into the kiss, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. Marius wraps his other arm around their waist, still keeping his hold on Björn's leash as he does so. Lyf keeps deepening the kiss until Björn paws at their boot and makes them laugh against his lips, feeling lightheaded and giddy.

Marius laughs too and looks down at their little cockblock.

Lyf tries for a joke based in the them-being-dog-parents thing. "We're getting a sitter for our next date."

He laughs. "Agreed."

Lyf looks down at their bastard angel with tired fondness. "I think he wants us to keep walking."

"I guess we can do that." Marius sighs dramatically but he is also looking fondly at their little bear. Lyf kisses him quickly and then gets walking again, Björn yipping happily at their heels. He keeps getting tangled between their legs and tripping them. They are being so fucking careful where they're stepping. Marius is also being careful just in case. God this puppy is. Too cute. Too precious Lyf is very torn between the very cute puppy and the very cute man. They would like to smooch both in very different ways. They keep walking, gay, and try to ignore the people they pass who they Know are making assumptions about them. It's fine. It's. Yeah. Fine. Marius smiles pleasantly at servants and courtiers alike, in a friendly way not flirty. Lyf is pleasant to both as well, although Marius notices their grip tightens just a bit when they pass courtiers. Occasionally Marius asks if he outranks X courtier just to see. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no. Lyf eventually begins to seem slightly uncomfortable with the line of questioning. Marius stops asking; he mostly just wants to know so he knows who he can legally be pissy with if they're dicks to him but if they're uncomfortable he will simply stop asking and turn the attention back to their baby boy. Lyf quietly starts pointing out people he outranks and, eventually, points at themself.

"Well, good to know I'm legally allowed to be pissy at you if you're a dick to me, but you're the most tolerable person here so far and honestly even if you outranked me, I'd probably still get pissy at you within reason since I trust you not to kill me."

Lyf nods and goes a bit quiet. They don't really like the idea of. Someone above them getting pissy with them. They trust him, but. “I'm glad you trust me."

"I do." Marius smiles sincerely and kisses their cheek, earning a soft smile.

Eventually, Lyf’s stomach begins to growl. “...Hm. You feeling hungry?”

"Yeah, food sounds good."

Lyf scoops their bear cub because his little legs are getting tired and holds him close to their chest as they walk back towards the castle. Marius follows happily because Ah... Björn is so baby.

Lyf hums as they near the dining hall. "I think we might. Actually be here on time for...dinner."

"Amazing. That's a first."

Lyf snorts. "Where will they get their gossip if we aren't blatantly missing dinner for sex?"

"The fact that we're bringing our dog to dinner? How rude of us!"

Lyf laughs happily. "God, the scandal." They don a slightly posh accent. "I'm telling you, ever since that new baron came to the court there's been no end to the indecency."

"They adopted a dog, that's basically the same thing as fucking in public!"

"Which we would, of course, never do or at least admit to doing."

"Oh, of course not." Marius grins.

Lyf's tone is exactly the same as they joke, "And he's always hanging around that dirty little knight. Doesn't he know they're beneath him? Or maybe he prefers them that way." They wink conspiratorially.

Marius blinks, feeling his stomach twist uncomfortably. "I don't think of you like that. You know that, right?"

Lyf blushes. "Yeah, of course." They weren't honestly thinking about him having an opinion re: their worth as a person. They. Don't really know how to feel about him saying so explicitly that he views them in a way different from- well, pretty much everyone else. It's a comfort they're sort of embarrassed to need, and they squeeze his hand gently.

Marius squeezes their hand back. "I care about you." He says honestly.

Lyf stiffens a bit. They don't remember the last time someone said those words to them. "...I care about you too, Marius." They look up at him, expression earnest.

He smiles and kisses their forehead. Lyf lets out a soft hum before guarding their expression again and stepping into the line of sight of the dining hall. Marius puts on his own mask of general confidence as they enter the hall

For a woman with one eye, Odin identifies them quickly. "Ah, the good Baron! Please, join us." There's one (1) seat near the head of the table, not directly by Odin but surrounded by Loki, Thor, Sigyn, and other nobles that Marius doesn’t recognize.

Lyf is very aware of what the one chair means and they sigh quietly.

"My queen." Marius bows deeply, taking the chance of no eye contact to shoot Lyf a glance for Help. Lyf nods in the direction of the table like  _ Sorry dude you gotta go without me  _ and bows as well. 

Marius stands up and feigns a look of pleading. "My apologies, your highness, I've been very long away from court. I hope you don't find me too forward if I ask for Sir Lyfrassir to join us?" He is really laying on the polite deferral in his tone.

Lyf is fucking gobsmacked that Marius would risk asking for them to stay with him like that, but they try not to be too visibly thrown by it. 

Before Odin can respond, a lovely dark-skinned woman that Lyf knows to be Sigyn stands from her seat beside the empty one. "I'm feeling a bit worn, anyway. Your majesty." She inclines her head towards Odin, then kisses the woman next to her and leaves, giving the two of them a small smile as she passes them. The servants clear her place quickly, and now there are two open seats- one by Thor, and the other by Loki.

"...Of course, Sir Lyfrassir is welcome to join you." Odin’s smile has less mirth than it did before.

Marius bows deeply once more and installs himself next to Thor because he is Aware that Lyf does not like him. "Thank you very much, my queen."

Odin nods. Thor regards the two of them with open suspicion. Lyf seems pretty happy to sit by Loki, although they are blushing faintly.

Marius smiles pleasantly at Thor because this guy definitely outranks him. He will simply have to be overly nice. "I don't believe we've been properly acquainted, though your reputation certainly precedes you, my prince. Marius von Raum-the second, of course. I could never hope to be half the man my father was."

Thor takes him in. "It's a pleasure, Lord Marius. I must say, I was surprised that we didn't hear from you sooner. What with you being omitted from the will. Would have thought that was something you'd want cleared up as quickly as possible."

"Oh, you know how it is." Marius laughs. "I was exploring some of the other kingdoms, trying to 'find myself'. Silly, really." He laughs self-depricatingly. "I was on the move too much to receive the news of my father's death." He feigns sadness too well to really be faking it, but he is Certainly Not thinking of the death of his own father. "I didn't even know until Sir Lyf came after me. Thank you, by the way, my Queen, for sending them to investigate. I understand the confusion I must have created. Apologies."

"Of course. We couldn't have any impostors besmirching your father's memory." Odin smiles, and it would seem warm unless you knew better. "It's fortunate that it turned out to be only you."

"Yes... only me." Marius smiles but he is biting the inside of his cheek very hard so he doesn't just reach out and smack her. He raises his glass. "I propose a toast. To the late Sir Baron Marius. May God rest his soul."

Everyone around raises their glasses, reciprocating the toast. Odin is watching him like a hawk. Lyf is only relaxed by sheer force of will. The food arrives for the two of them by narrative contrivance. The others already have theirs.

Marius thanks the servant and then turns his attention towards Loki. "I don't believe we've met either." He gives a friendly smile as he begins to eat.

She smiles. "Princess Loki. You may just call me Loki, if you prefer. I don't care for formalities." She ignores a glare from her mother. Marius is close enough to perceive Lyf having a crush on her.

Marius smiles very pleasantly. "Ah, of course. A pleasure." He inclines his head.

She inclines her head as well. "How are you coping, if I may ask?"

"Well enough, I suppose. It's hard, to lose one's father..." he is putting all his effort into making that sound sincere. "Especially when you're the last to know." He looks pensively at his plate once again like he's grieving. Lyf places a reassuring hand on his shoulder and murmurs something reassuring in case the others can overhear, to add to the illusion.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Loki says sincerely.

"Thank you. I appreciate that greatly."

She gives a small smile, and dinner resumes. Luckily, despite being the obvious source of gossip, Marius and Lyf can mostly coast through by nodding and listening to what the other courtiers have to say. Absolutely none of it sticks with Marius, who is all too aware of the uncomfortable glances that keep passing between Thor and his Lyf. At the earliest excuse, Marius gives another deep bow to excuse himself from the table. Lyf follows close by his side, holding the dog and food for the dog. 

The return to the room to feed their son properly and Marius flops onto the bed with a groan. "So they all hate me."

Lyf sets pup down, who promptly fucks off to bed. They remove their blouse. "I don't think Loki hates you. And Sigyn gave you gay rights."

"She did. I appreciated that."

They also remove their trousers. "I thought you handled yourself impressively. I would have been fooled were I not in on it."

"Well, that's reassuring. Hopefully the rest of them bought it." Marius sits up to start removing his clothes as well. The new clothes are well-tailored and nice but right now they feel a little suffocating.

Lyf pours them both very stiff glasses of mead. "I couldn't believe you asked the queen to bring me up there with you."

"I don't know if I would have survived the night without you there." Marius slugs down the mead very quickly.

Lyf refills it and does the same, refilling their own glass. "I'm sure you would have managed. You're incredibly sharp."

"I'm used to lying out my ass but I have never lied out my ass for that long sustainably. That was so stressful."

"It really was. Hopefully the worst of it is over." Lyf takes his clothes and simply folds them and sets them aside.

Marius smiles up at them appreciatively. He downs his mead a little more slowly this time. Lyf does not drink theirs slowly. They down a third. They were so fucking incredibly stressed being that close to Thor and also Odin they guess.

Marius holds out his glass for a refill. "Think I should let Loki know I'm now coping via alcohol?"

Lyf laughs, pouring for him. "And here I thought you were coping via sex."

"That too." He laughs and downs this third glass

Lyf pours themself a fourth glass like an absolute fucking idiot. "We cope very well with that, I think."

"We do." Marius grins. "And we don't have to worry about getting whiskey dick so cheers!"

Lyf laughs and raises their glass before starting on it. "Cheers, I'll drink to that." They've been drinking too quickly for any of it to have hit yet.

Marius finishes off another glass as well before laying back. "Fuck, I hope people will forget about Sir Marius senior soon."

"I hope so, too. I much prefer Sir Marius junior." Lyf lays beside him on the bed.

"Never met the guy so I don't know but if I have to pretend that I'm sad a father figure is dead one more time, I'll stab Odin with one of those tiny dessert forks."

Lyf laughs sincerely. "Get her good eye."

"That's the plan." Marius grins.

Lyf grins a bit dopily at him. They didn't eat much so the mead's already kinda hitting.

Marius leans forward to pour himself another glass because he ate more and is generally larger so it's not hitting quite yet. "So like are Thor and Loki her biological kids or?"

“Adopted, actually. Odin’s wife, Frigg, died a few years back, and...well.” They pour themself more, take a sip. “Odin’s really. Not been the same, since. But they adopted those two from a Duchess who passed. They’re biological siblings.”

"Oh. Okay. Good to know." Marius nods. "That makes sense. Loki seems nice."

Lyf gently sips their drink for a moment. “...She is.”

Marius grins a little and elbows them. "I can tell you think so."

Lyf blushes a bit. “Not. All of the courtiers are terrible lays.”

Marius laughs. "Ah, that explains it. She is beautiful."

“She’s kind, too.” They drink some more.

"Seems like it." He takes another deep drink. "And the one who left?"

“That’s Sigyn. Loki’s wife. She was a Countess before they got married. She’s also lovely.”

"Ah okay. I Will have to thank her for my gay rights."

Lyf smiles at him. “Such good manners.”

Marius giggles. He's starting to feel the buzz. "They're going to think I'm overcompensating for something. Which 's true enough I s'pose"

Lyf laughs. “Y’ve got nothing to compensate for, your mouth’s so talented and your cunt’s delicious.”

Marius's face goes a little red. "I meant compensating for my lack of nobility not my lack of dick."

Lyf is an idiot. “Oh I’m an idiot.”

Marius laughs. "That's okay, could've been interpreted either way." He leans up to kiss them. Lyf is happy to kiss him. They are very enthusiastic in doing so for tipsy reasons.

"God you're incredibly sexy." Marius pulls back to say that and then kisses them again hungrily. Lyf starts to respond but their words are muffled by his mouth, which makes them moan softly and pull him on top of them. Marius obliges gladly, straddling them and resting a hand on their titty.

Lyf grinds up against him, running a hand through his hair. Marius moans softly into their mouth. Lyf slips a hand between them because they are less of a tease when they’re like this. They slip a hand between his folds and trace circles around his dick. Marius makes another noise of pleasure and moves his hips against their fingers. Lyf pulls him closer with their free hand as they play with his dick, moaning into his mouth at a louder volume than they usually do. Marius is mildly impatient because he wants to touch them too so he brings his hand between them as well to tease at their clit. Lyf whines and grinds into his hand. They lick desperately into his mouth. Marius moans and slides a finger into them, grinding against their hand in turn. Lyf bites his lip softly, rubbing his dick harder. Marius is already a mess, his kisses getting sloppier as the alcohol kicks in more. Lyf is kissing back just as sloppy, rubbing his dick with enthusiasm but less finesse than they usually have. Marius whines softly, sliding another finger into them and aiming for their sweet spot. Lyf whimpers into his mouth, bucking back against his fingers as he finds it. Marius strokes that spot, grinding his palm against their dick. Lyf slips two fingers into him as well, moaning. Marius moans as well, moving his lips down to kiss their neck and jaw.

Lyf lets out a high pitched, breathy sound. “Ah, Marius~”

Marius bucks his hips a little desperately against their hand as he bites their neck. Lyf grinds against his dick harder and searches for his sweet spot, whimpering in pleasure at the bite. Marius bites a little harder with a low groan as they find that spot.

Lyf strokes that spot. "Ah, f-fuck-"

Marius is being similarly eloquent as he ruts against their fingers desperately. 

"Please, Marius, please more, please-" They try to give him a bit more, too, to reciprocate, but they're more sexually frustrated than they are close to anything. Liquor be like that. Marius goes harder, focusing more on their clit. Lyf cries out loudly, grinding against him and whining before trying to steady their breathing and focus on rubbing Marius off. 

Marius groans, continuing to buck against them desperately but working hard to keep his pace steady on them as well. "Fuck, god y-you're so a-amazing " 

Lyf pants against his shoulder, struggling to form a coherent thought beyond their own pleasure and trying to share it with Marius. They whine intelligently. Marius keeps going, not really expecting a response because like he is two fingers deep in their cunt, he just focuses once more on giving them pleasure

"A-ah- M'rius, m'close, please fuck please!"

He goes harder against their clit, rubbing them desperately, and Lyf loses their rhythm a bit as they come with a yell of his name, clenching around his fingers. Marius moans softly at the feeling of them around his fingers and lets up a little but doesn't pull back. Lyf makes a needy noise and works their fingers harder over him, everything feeling so good but not wanting to be selfish.

Marius is panting now, moving his hips against them just as hard. "F-fuck, c-close, m-more, please-”

Lyf hones in on his sweet spot, rubbing it and grinding against his dick furiously. Marius cries out as he comes, throwing his head back.

"Fuck, Marius, you're so fucking hot..."

Marius catches his breath. "S-so're you, h-holy shit..."

"Want my mouth on you, fuck, m'still so hot for you, Marius, god..."

"Fuck, please, w-wanna taste you t-too."

"Please please ride me? You can taste me, too, wanna taste you so bad, please Marius I need you..."

Marius nods and quickly flips himself over to position himself above their face. "R-ready?"

Lyf nods. “Yes, please, fuck...”

Marius settles himself down on their face with a groan. Lyf licks up into him with earnest desperation, moaning wantonly. Marius gasps softly and leans forward to lick at them in return Lyf moans into his cunt, bucking their hips up a bit. Marius grinds down against their face as he sucks their dick into his mouth. “Mmf!” Lyf makes a startled, pleased noise into his cunt before lavishing him with their tongue, whining a bit from the pleasure. Marius muffles his own noises of pleasure in their cunt as he eats them out hungrily. Lyf grips his hips and pulls him down harder on their face, feeling comforted and aroused by the pressure on them, by the knowledge that they’re giving him pleasure, that they’re being good, that they’re useful for him. Marius moans and wraps his arms around their hips to pull them closer as well. Lyf whimpers into his cunt and they wish they could tell him how good this feels but they aren’t a telepath so they just write their pleasure into his dick with their tongue. Marius whines and keeps grinding against them and lavishing and sucking their dick. It doesn’t take too long like this for Lyf to start to get close, his tongue working them perfectly, and they moan into his cunt, redoubling their efforts on his dick. Marius is getting close too, groaning and turning his head quickly to nip at their thigh as a warning that he's close before returning to their cunt with a vengeance. Lyf taps his hip with just their fingers, holding him down still so he’ll know they’re indicating they’re close and not that they want him off. They work his dick furiously with as much precision as they can muster with their head clouded like this, and they moan into his cunt as they come, managing to stay consistent in their ministrations as they do. Marius cries out loudly as he follows them over the edge. Lyf licks him through it eagerly. Marius slumps against them a little with a moan. Lyf eases off, tapping his thigh to let them breathe. Marius rolls off them, panting. Lyf curls towards him, seeking touch and comfort. Marius flips himself back right side up so he can cuddle them more properly. Lyf makes a happy noise and snuggles in. Marius kisses their forehead. Lyf looks up at him and smiles cutely.

"Fuck, yer so cute."

“So’re you...so...so cute, you’ve got lil’ dimples.”

Marius giggles. "Yr' hair's so pretty..."

His giggles are contagious. “Th’ks, yrs’ pretty too, wish it were longer, ‘d be fun ta play with...”

"Yrs looks fun ta play with too... c’n I braid it?"

Lyf giggles even more, blushing and ducking their head. “Bit early fr that, innit? Proposin’ so soooon?”

Marius giggles harder too. "P-proposin'? Whaddaya mean?"

“S’a- fuck, right, yer a foreigner.” They say that in an obviously joking tone and keep giggling. “Braids ‘re how ya pr’pose.” They nuzzle their face against his.

"L-like marriage?" Marius laughs. "You haven' even met m'parents yet!" He dissolves into a fit of giggles at that, tears of laughter tracing their way down his face.

Lyf cackles. "The scandal! C'n you 'magine, me walkin' out 'n braids, 'n you just standin' all smug- ha, they'd lose their shit."

"We should do that!" Marius is losing his shit. "Cn' you imagine the look on Odin's face??"

Lyf imagines it and then bursts into hysterical giggles. "Yer so smart, we shoul' do it!"

Marius sits up. "Let's go, d'you have a ribbon?"

Lyf nods and points to their bedside table.

Marius grabs a ribbon and installs himself behind them to do his best to braid.

Lyf is internally vibrating from sheer homosexuality but also. Also. It'll be fun to prank the court. Ha. Marriage. What a fun prank. They're being so stupid, even drunk they can already tell this is stupid but his hands feel so good in their hair, and he really cares for them, and would it be the end of the world if they got fake married to someone who cares about them? They've nearly gotten  _ real _ married before to someone who didn't. This is good.

Marius presses a kiss to the back of their head as he twists their hair into a slightly shaky but pretty braid.

"...Feels nice."

"Yer hair feels nice... I was right... fun to play with..."

"You c'n play with it whn'vr you wan'." They are feeling just. Outrageously homosexual and tender and they really want to kiss him on the mouth.

Marius finishes the braid and ties it off then leans around them for a kiss. Lyf kisses back enthusiastically and a bit sloppily. Marius's is sloppy as well with a soft moan. Lyf moans a bit into it as well, pushing him back so they can lay on top of him as they kiss him deeply. Marius runs his hands down their back with a contented sigh into their mouth. 

Lyf runs their fingers through his hair and then giggles, breaking the kiss a bit. “So w’re gettin’ married, then?”

"Hell yeah." Marius giggles too and kisses them again. "I can't wait."

Lyf’s heart flutters a bit but it’s probably the alcohol. They kiss him excitedly, and grope aimlessly at him as the two of them careen towards unconsciousness, courtesy of the orgasms and booze.


End file.
